


A Lakeside Summer

by kirakiracats



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Mermaids, Young Eren Yeager, Young Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), ebb2k17, levi pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-10 20:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13509285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirakiracats/pseuds/kirakiracats
Summary: When Levi’s mother falls ill, he agrees to go live with some distant relatives over the summer while she's recovering. From urban centre to country village, there’s a lot of changes, but Levi plans to keep to himself. That is, until he meets another boy called Eren, down by the nearby lake. Eren is friendly but alone, and acts strangely sometimes, but they're inexplicably drawn to each other. With Eren’s persistence, plus interactions with baby cousin Mikasa and her parents, Levi learns how to enjoy summer and open up a little.What he doesn't know is that Eren is also keeping a big secret, one that leads Levi to some truths of his own.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my fic for the Ereri Big Bang, an event that has allowed me to work with two fabulous artists: [yueirs](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/) and [aceveria](http://aceveria.tumblr.com/)!! It's been months of yelling at each other motivation and encouragement (and despair lol) and I am super super lucky to have their art linked with this story. Check them out by clicking their names and go show some love!! Specific art links are in the end notes~
> 
> Also, big shoutout to my friend Seu (who isn't even in this fandom) for betaing and using her genuis to help me smooth out a major plot point or two!! This fic would be very different if I hadn't had her to talk to <3
> 
> I'm very happy to finally be able to share this sweet little story~ It was originally inspired by my first watch of _When Marnie Was There_ and then gained _Ponyo_ elements, so you might notice those, enjoy!

 

_“Your only job this summer is to relax and have fun, okay? Levi? Levi, look at me. I know you don’t like this, but it’s only for a little while. Just until the doctor says I’m better. Then everything will go back to normal. I promise.”_

Levi steps onto the empty platform, his mother’s words swirling in his head. The whole train journey he had repeated them to himself, remembering her pleading face, how she had looked at him with a gentle smile. Her eyes had been asking him not to argue. And he had relented, because what else could a twelve year old do when they loved their mother? Especially when her cheeks looked so thin.

He hitches the strap of his duffle bag into a better position on his shoulder, glancing behind him as the train begins to pull away, leaving him there. Taking a deep breath, he squares his shoulders, and makes his way into the station.

He knows he is at the right stop, his obsessive checking made sure of that, but he still has to reach into his pocket and pull out the neatly folded note that tells him what to do next. If his distant relatives are on time, then they should just be waiting for him somewhere inside. Although he’ll be living in their house for the next two or three months, Levi doesn’t even know what they look like, just that they’re a couple who share the same surname as him and his mother, live out in the country, and are willing to take Levi in temporarily. The note says to stay put until he’s spotted. It says to be polite and remember his manners and all those other things that good boys should try to be.

Levi stares at the slanted ‘ _I love you_ ’ written at the end in his mother’s handwriting. The pen was shaking against the paper, trembles in her arm transferred there in each line; miles away he can still see the picture the effort it took for her to do this one simple thing. He chews his lip, and then puts the piece of paper back in his shorts.

Once under the shade of the indoors, Levi realises he need not have worried about not being able to find them. The one large room of the station only has two rows of chairs, over half of which are unoccupied. An old lady is talking to an attendant over at the far desk, and Levi sees only three other people around. It’s so unlike the city station he had just come from, where he had been at the mercy of the crowds.

A man with short, light brown hair and a woman with Japanese features and a small baby on her lap are making quiet conversation, seated over by the exit. When Levi readjusts his bag again, it catches the man’s attention, and he immediately smiles and stands up from his chair. The woman lifts the baby onto her hip, fixing the strap of their little denim dungarees and then follows the man over to where Levi waits.

Levi stands stiffly, hands by his side, as the couple come to a stop just in front of him. The woman tucks her straight, black hair behind one ear, and bounces her baby gently. He guesses this must be it. They obviously recognise him even if it doesn’t go both ways.

“Levi, it’s nice to meet you properly, Kuchel has told us so much about you. We hope you had a nice trip, even if it was a little long,” the man says, his face kind. Levi is glad he makes no move to touch him familiarly. They’ve probably only seen photos of him sent by his mother, or perhaps met him when he had been too young to remember.

“Hello. Thank you for letting me stay with you,” Levi says, a little flat but not impolite.

“It’s no problem at all, dear,” the woman replies, her tone honest and friendly. Her baby squirms and she holds them closer to her chest. “Now how about we go to the car and get back soon so you can settle in. My husband will take your bag, if you would like.” Levi puts a hand over his bag briefly before slipping the strap over his head and reluctantly handing it over. He follows the family out into the afternoon sunshine over to a little red car in the tiny parking area. Levi gets straight into the back seat without a word.

The woman tells him to just call them Auntie and Uncle, and Levi responds with a hum. In reality, they’re something like his mother’s cousins, from a different branch of the sparse family tree. Levi doesn’t know exactly, but it doesn’t matter. He’s already here.

Levi stays silent as Auntie finishes strapping the baby into the seat on the other side, watching curiously as the child tries to play with her hair as it brushes close to their face. Auntie meets his gaze once she’s done, smiling again.

“This is our little girl Mikasa. She’s nearly one and a half.” Ah, it would be more appropriate to call her a toddler then, Levi thinks. He nods and sits with his hands in his lap as the adults buckle their seatbelts. The car starts, soft radio music beginning to play through the speakers, and then they’re on the road.

It’s around twenty-five minutes to get to their house, Levi is told. He spends that time staring out of the window, looking out at the unfamiliar view that is greener and more open than the grey city blocks that he’s used to. Uncle drives carefully, avoiding various potholes to keep Mikasa from getting jostled, although the little girl seems happy enough. Whenever Levi glances over, she’s looking right at him with curiosity in her eyes. Her hair is the same black shade as her mother and Levi's own, and almost reaches her tiny shoulders. Unsure of what she wants, Levi turns to look outside again.

Uncle talks about the local area and how long they’ve been living here, not bothered that the conversation is mostly one-sided with small input from Auntie. Levi thinks about how far he is from his mother, distance between them for the first time in his life. The country roads wind around the hills some more before sloping down towards a village. From this spot, Levi can see the blue of a lake just beyond the rooftops, and a forest beyond that. They drive past a few shops and houses, through to the other side of the village and closer to the trees on the other side. It’s up another hill that Levi finally sees what he thinks must be the house, a two-storey building made of pale brick, with a wooden porch at the front and a deck to the side. They park just outside the wooden fence that encloses the front garden, next to a white mailbox.

Levi sits in the car for so long that Uncle comes and opens his door for him, Levi's bag held loosely under his arm. He steps out onto dirt and gravel, taking in his surroundings. The air is fresh and clean, and the leaves rustle at the lightest breeze. It feels like the middle of nowhere, but Levi finds he doesn’t mind the thought so much. It’s not like he chooses to go many places in the city either. His hobbies are mostly solitary anyway, and he keeps to himself. While he’s here, he has no friends to call, and only one person to miss.

The gate in the fence has a little archway above it with some sort of climbing plant going up both sides to meet at the top. Levi walks under it and follows the Ackermans up to the front door and into the house.

The entryway leads to the stairs directly in front of them, and opens to the living room to the left. It is open plan with the kitchen towards the back of the house and another room in the far corner. Decorations hang everywhere, creating a homey atmosphere that manages to make Levi feel both out of place and more comfortable at the same time. There are many carved animal sculptures, on side tables and the mantelpiece above the fireplace. The two sofas and one armchair are all covered in what seem to be homemade afghan blankets in earthy tones. There are a few toys scattered on the coffee table, and glass doors open from the living room onto the outdoor deck that Levi had seen earlier.

Levi toes off his shoes by the front door, and then Uncle leads him up to what will be his room from now until the end of summer, placing his bag carefully at the foot of the bed and opening his window to let the breeze roll in. There’s a wind-chime in the upper corner, and it plays sweetly with the gentle coaxing.

“No need to worry about your mother, Levi. She’ll be right as rain. Good enough to visit sooner than you think,” Uncle says as he passes him, the wind-chime still ringing. This time he does place a steady hand on his shoulder. Levi nods but keeps a blank face. Auntie comes in a few minutes later to find Levi sitting on the edge of the mattress, doing nothing but looking at the landscape painting on the wall. She makes sure he knows which room is their bedroom, assuring him that Mikasa’s is further away and that she sleeps through the night and won’t disturb him. She leaves after telling him that dinner will be around half five, so he has a few hours to himself.

Instead of unpacking, Levi simply closes his eyes and flops backward onto the covers. They feel and smell different to what he’s used to, but the bed is soft and comfortable. Like much of the furniture in the house, the bed frame is wooden, smooth but unvarnished. When Levi rolls onto his side, the tiniest creak comes from underneath him. As if in answer, the floorboards in the hallway groan too from Uncle walking by.

Opening his eyes again, Levi pulls out his mother’s note once more.

He bites his lip.

+++++

The first three days of Levi's stay are spent at the house. In the evenings, he stares at the house phone like a hawk, waiting for it to ring. But when his mother finally calls and the phone is passed to him, he finds he has nothing meaningful to say. It’s not that it’s hard to talk to her, but that they end up having to reassure each other so much that each call plays out like a broken record. Her breathing is still shallow, despite the new medication she’s taking, and sometimes she lets the end of her sentence trail off without realising she’s doing it.

And all Levi can do is prompt her, and then say, “I’m fine. I’m okay. I’m fine.”

Most of the time, he sits and watches Mikasa play, wondering about the quiet games she amuses herself with. She’s walking but not really talking, yet, although Auntie has tried to get her to say Levi's name plenty of times. It’s nice to watch them interact, Levi thinks. He hasn’t ever spent any meaningful period of time around young children before, and Mikasa has been perfectly behaved the whole while.

Levi learns that the carvings dotted around are all Uncle’s creations. He had noticed that there was a fox on the desk in his room, and admired its craft that first night, before sleeping. Uncle seems to be able to make anything; wolves, bears, eagles, and owls can all be found just downstairs. Levi asks whether any of the carpentry of the furniture is done by him too, and then gets shown his workshop. He whittles in the evenings after dinner, sometimes sitting out on the garden deck, but says that he doesn’t have any bigger pieces in the works.

Auntie is in charge of cooking, and Levi makes sure to compliment her every meal. She even cooks breakfast for him, a routine that Levi is adjusting to. Both adults seem to understand that Levi isn’t one to break silence just for the sake of it, and keep conversations light around the table, noticing that Levi becomes withdrawn at any mention of his mother despite rushing to talk to her over the phone. After breakfast on the fourth day, Levi does as usual and gathers the used plates and cutlery to bring over to the sink to wash.

“You must be a great help at home, Levi,” Auntie says after minutes of working in silent tandem. She hands him another plate to dry.

Levi shrugs one shoulder and replies, “I guess,” focused on stacking the plates orderly on the counter. Housework is housework. It’s hardly a chore for him.

“Thank you for doing this every day, dear, but you don’t have to, you know. Why don’t you go explore today, walk around outside. I’ll even make some lunch for you to take.”

Levi hesitates to agree, but by then Auntie is opening the fridge and pulling out ingredients to make sandwiches. Resigned, he moves out of her way, standing by as she makes up a quick lunch and packs it in a little purple backpack. It looks like something that Mikasa could use when she’s bigger. “My friend has a daughter who’s quite close to your age. Would you like me to tell you where their house is? I’m sure she’d be happy to show you around,” she says as she hands the bag to Levi.

“No thank you. I’ll just go by myself,” Levi replies quietly. He’s confused by the offer, and by the idea that someone he didn’t know would do such a thing. Is this what it’s like to live in a village, he wonders. Auntie studies him for a moment before smiling and hurrying him along.

“I know you’re very mature and responsible, just like your mother said, but if you get a bit lost I’m sure someone will help you. People are very nice here. Remember our road name, and the fact that we’re past the sheep fields and uphill from the lake. Just be back before it gets dark, okay?”

Levi says he will, tugging on his shoes at the door. He isn’t sure what could compel him to stay out that long. He’d rather avoid being bitten by bugs or getting lost.

Closing the gate behind him and checking the latch like he’s seen Uncle do, Levi chooses to walk along the narrow road until he reaches the village proper. It’s quiet, the absence of the distant sound of car engines particularly noticeable to Levi. Only the birds make music, as it’s not the right time for the crickets and other insects to come out. Levi reaches out and lets his fingers comb through the long grass to his left as he walks.

There are a few people out in the village centre, a lot less than in the town where the train station is. Middle-aged women greet him politely as he passes the post office, to which he bows his head wordlessly. He has change for a snack at the corner shop, but then remembers the lunch hidden away in the backpack. He looks through the window of a shop selling knick-knacks, sees a fat tabby lounging on a crumbling wall, and inhales as he passes a bakery, but overall there is little to do, just like he expected. He wanders, turning corners whenever he feels like, when through the gap in two buildings he sees the lake.

The sun reflecting off the water catches his eye. For a long moment, he simply stands and stares at it, fascinated by the visual. When he’d seen it from the car, it felt far away and unreal, but now he’s drawn to it in a new way. It’s pretty, that’s undeniable, but Levi feels like there’s something more to it, although he can’t explain it even to himself. A building desire to see it up close, perhaps.

He changes direction and heads down to the lake, in no hurry. He could find a secluded place to sit and eat later.

It’s slightly trickier to make it to the water’s edge than he originally thought, but he finds that that is because he had approached from the wrong side. Stinging nettles and brambles are in his way until he walks for another ten minutes. In future, he should be fine coming directly from the house, which is good for when he has to head back. The grass comes halfway up his calves here, tickling the bare skin, and he takes care to avoid stinging nettles. He makes sure he can still see the water as he turns to walk down the slope.

The edge of the lake is partly sand and partly rocks, where Levi is. The lazy lap of the water against the shore is what Levi listens to as he starts to walk parallel along the beach. The lake is wide and calm, and appears relatively clean. The water is completely clear until it gets deeper further out. Levi thinks he’s on one of the long sides of its oval shape, and the forest stretches out in front of him at the far side.

Levi only strolls a little farther before deciding to stop. He searches for a nice place to sit higher up on the slope, hopefully with a little shade; his skin doesn’t do well in long sun exposure, just like his mother’s. The spot he picks puts the trees to his back. Next time he’ll bring a book, he thinks, since he’ll surely come here again at some point in the coming weeks.

Judging by the sun, it’s about midday, so Levi brings his bag around so he can reach in and take out some food. Auntie had added some fruit too, and he starts with that. The orange is halfway finished when he hears a mysterious rustling coming from behind him. Levi is just about to turn his head when out of a patch of trees comes a streak of black.

It’s a cat, Levi discovers once it stands still for a moment a few metres away from him. He relaxes at knowing it’s nothing dangerous, but then hears the rustling start up again, this time paired with the thudding of footsteps and snapping branches. The cat darts away again at the noise, taking off along the beach towards the village.

“Kitty!” a voice calls from within the trees, seconds before a boy bursts through the foliage right next to where Levi is sitting, stunned. The boy’s chest is heaving, presumably from the exertion of chasing the cat for a while. He has wild brown hair, skin many shades darker than Levi's, and clothes that are covered in leaves. When he twists his body and looks about for the cat, Levi catches sight of brilliant green eyes and reddened cheeks. He appears to be around the same age as Levi himself, which makes him the only person he’s seen so far that isn’t a little kid, older teenager, or adult. The oddest thing about him is that he isn’t wearing any shoes, something that Levi would never do.

“Kitty, where did you—”

Levi and the boy both freeze when their gazes meet, and Levi's heart is racing from the surprise. The boy blinks at him slowly, and then squints at him like he’s trying to figure something out. Levi still can’t move when the boy stalks closer, knees bent and his hands out as if he thinks Levi is going to bolt. Which he might have if his legs would cooperate. He’s almost within arm’s reach when the boy crouches down to be on the same level. Levi feels like he’s being judged when the boy tilts his head and examines his face, and then jumps when the boy gasps excitedly and grins from ear to ear. He leans into Levi's personal space, almost letting their noses touch, his eyes not letting Levi look away.

“Pretty kitty, did you turn into a boy?!”

Levi winces at the boy’s volume, too loud for how close they are. His brows pull together in confusion as the boy looks at him hopefully, his energy making it feel like the air around him is buzzing.

“What?”

It’s the boy’s turn to look confused now, his thick brows furrowing has his mouth turns down.

“You’re… not the kitty?”

“Of course not,” Levi retorts, sure that this boy has a few screws loose. Up close he can see that his clothes are a little worse for wear, although that could be due to his previous running about. His face genuinely falls when he hears Levi's words, his body slumping until he’s sitting directly in front of Levi on the grass.

“Darn it. So that kitty got away. I’ve definitely lost her by now.” The boy pouts and props his chin in one hand, apparently deep in thought. Levi tries to get his breathing under control, closing his eyes until he can no longer feel his own pulse in his throat. When he opens them, the boy is regarding him curiously again. “I’ve never seen you around here before. Who are you?” he asks, raising an eyebrow when Levi doesn’t answer straight away.

“I’m Levi. I’m not from here. I’m visiting my… aunt and uncle. For the summer,” Levi says haltingly, still uncertain around this stranger. The boy’s moods seem to shift as easy as water.

“Levi,” the boy repeats to himself, perking up again as if he’s decided he likes the sound of it. “Hi, Levi. I _am_ from around here. My name is Eren!”

Levi nods at the information, unable to muster the same amount of enthusiasm as Eren. It’s strange for him to be watched so intensely, especially with those eyes that are an almost inhuman colour, similar to a multi-faceted jewel.

“Could you, maybe, stop staring at me?”

“Huh? Oh. Oh yeah, sorry,” Eren says, averting his eyes purposefully. He shuffles so there’s more space between them, too. Only a couple of inches, but Levi appreciates the effort, he supposes. It’s silent and awkward for a long time. Eren plucks at grass and taps his fingers on his knee. Once Levi is sure he won’t do anything weird, he goes back to eating his orange. It’s not long before he catches Eren looking at him out of the corner of his eye, although Eren startles and stares out at the water when he is found out. Levi glances down at the last two segments, then back up at Eren.

“You want some?”

Eren half-turns to see what Levi is offering, his face suspicious.

“Really?”

Levi shrugs.

“If you want. Your choice.”

Eren taps his fingers a few more times before bringing his hand up to take the rest of the orange. He inspects the segments carefully, and then pops them in his mouth. He looks pleasantly surprised at the taste, as if he had been expected something different. After he swallows, he laughs, bright and cheerful.

“I really liked that! Thank you.”

“You’ve never had an orange before?” Levi asks, baffled. Eren shakes his head, still smiling.

“I’ve been thinking they were the same as lemons. Got any more?” Levi huffs a laugh at the question, and at Eren's behaviour. He is acting like a begging puppy. He pulls out the wrapped sandwiches next, of which there are two. He doesn’t mind sharing the food. “Bread!” Eren exclaims, bouncing now. “I love bread.”

“They’re sandwiches. Ham salad, I think. Want one?”

“Yes, please.”

Levi unwraps the food and hands one over, and Eren tears right into it. They eat together, Eren humming loudly in approval. He finishes first, and waits for Levi to swallow his last bite before taking one of his hands and holding it in both of his. Levi's eyes widen at the contact.

“Thank you, Levi. You are very kind and beautiful. You are a good friend.”

Levi would like to ask Eren exactly where his hand has been, since he dislikes getting unnecessarily dirty, but he’s speechless. Eren had casually called him a _friend_ , and seconds before that he’d called him _beautiful_. Does he not realise that normal people don’t say things like that less than an hour after meeting them? He eventually manages to mumble something mostly incoherent, getting out his bottle of water and drinking to try to wash away the lump in his throat. Eren still has hold of his other hand, though. When Levi attempts to subtly pull away, Eren mistakenly thinks he wants more and starts to rub the back of Levi's hand with his fingertips.

Levi doesn’t try to pull away again. Coughing a little, he tries to work through the tension that has gripped his body. He brings his knees up and rests his other forearm on them.

Birds are tweeting in the forest around them, and Eren keeps his eyes on some part of Levi at all times. Levi can’t understand what he could find so interesting about him. He himself thinks he’s plain and short, the kind of person that is easily overlooked, even more so since he’s only twelve. But he sits still until the discomfort fades to nothing, and then unexpectedly blossoms into faint warmth. Slowly, he slouches to lean his head on his forearm, still propped up by his knees. In that time, Eren hums a song Levi doesn’t recognise, constantly touching the skin of his hand, wrist, and arm, in circles and swirls that have no pattern as far as Levi can tell. Levi feels so strangely relaxed that when the light begins to fade, his eyelids are drooping. The falling temperature causes gooseflesh to rise on his bare arms, which Eren notices right away.

“The sun is starting to set, Levi. You must go back to your aunt and uncle, right? C’mon.” Levi comes back to his senses and looks around himself, seeing that Eren is right. He has to start finding his way back. Eren keeps hold of his hand and Levi doesn’t even think to protest the contact, or the possible dirt on Eren's palms. They walk side by side, listening to the insects waking up in their surroundings.

Eren leads him to a set of concrete steps that he must have passed right by earlier in the day. Levi starts climbing, but stops when Eren finally lets Levi's hand slip from his grasp. He turns to see Eren smiling up at him from the bottom step.

“Aren’t you going home, too?” Levi asks.

“Yeah, but I’ve got to go another way.”

Levi frowns. For some reason, in his mind he pictured them walking all the way together. He shakes his head of the thought and fixes his expression back to something neutral.

“Well, okay.”

Nodding once, Eren gives him a little wave and then turns to walk back the way they just came from.

“Hey,” Levi calls out, and Eren pauses to look back over his shoulder at him. “Why were you chasing that cat in the first place?” Eren grins, showing white teeth, and rocks back on his heels.

“Kitty took some fish that didn’t belong to her. I was happy to share but then she got greedy and ran away. So I chased her,” Eren explains matter-of-factly. “That’s why I was hungry. Thank you for sharing your food with me.”

“Where did you get fish from?”

The question sparks a secretive look to flash in Eren's eyes.

“There’s lots of fish in the lake, obviously. Sleep well, Levi,” Eren says, and then he jogs away before Levi can ask anything else, kicking up sand as he goes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget the joy of the big bang: this fic has art to go with it!! look at them and cry with me tbh
> 
> [art by yuu](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/post/170717663744/a-late-dedication-to-erenfanclubs-super-sweet) \- [art by m](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170546630550/my-pieces-for-the-ereribigbang-i-was-very) \- [collab art omg](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170581669790/i-like-surprising-you-as-long-as-it-makes-you)


	2. Chapter 2

 

He goes back the next day on a whim. Whether Eren appears again or not, Levi will sit and read until he gets bored. That’s his plan for the day.

Auntie had been all too happy to make Levi another lunch after hearing that he ate by the lake the previous day, and so he has the purple backpack with him again, this time with a few extra things. He made no mention of Eren to either her or his mother, having debated with himself the whole way home. In the end, he saw no point in bringing it up. He hardly knew how to begin describing the bizarre events.

It’s difficult to say for sure, since the grassy verge all starts to look the same after a while, but Levi thinks he’s back in the same place as yesterday. There’s no one there. But still, he shrugs off the bag and sits leaning up against a nearby tree.

It is ages before he hears anything, but time passes quickly enough when he’s reading. The crunch of stone and sand is softer than the noisy pursuit of the day before, but the source of the sound is just the same. Eren comes from the far end of the lake, and Levi watches him as he gets closer, tentatively searching along the shoreline. Suddenly nervous, Levi chooses to sit and wait for Eren to come to him, even as he can see that Eren's face looks more vulnerable and lonelier with every few steps. Or at least, that’s how it looks to Levi. He might not even be looking for him specifically. Eren might just do this every day. He might—

“Levi!”

Breath rushes out of Levi in a flood of relief. He clenches and unclenches his fists while Eren bounds over, his whole face lit up.

“You came back!”

“So did you. We didn’t even say we would,” Levi says evenly, although his heart is fluttering weakly in his chest.

“I had a feeling,” is Eren's response, and he drops to his knees carelessly and immediately reaches for Levi. He touches Levi's leg over his shorts, sighing and squeezing gently when he feels him solid beneath his palm. Levi can’t explain the way it makes him feel.

“Not chasing thieving cats today?” he asks in a monotone. Eren snaps out of his daze enough to look up and grin at him.

“Nope. Too busy hoping you would be here.”

Levi can’t explain how that makes him feel, either. Couldn’t even if he wanted to. He knows his delivery of jokes is not always the best, so Eren must’ve missed his attempted teasing.

“Oh,” he says simply, thumbing the pages of his book. He wonders why he can’t say something similar in return, why he can’t tell Eren he had been waiting all morning just for him. These friendly interactions are foreign to him. The words get stuck on his tongue. He kind of envies Eren's easy honesty.

Eren moves away after a few minutes and Levi misses the touch, before wondering why he allowed it for so long in the first place.

“So tell me about your home, Levi.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know, and you’re only here for the summer, right? And I’ve never been anywhere but here. You’re the only one I can ask. Tell me, please.”

“There isn’t much to tell…” Levi begins, but changes his mind when he sees Eren's disappointed face. So he does his best.

He talks about how many more people there are and how that makes life crowded and stuffy, how the buildings are tall enough to block the sun and cast shadows everywhere, how it feels like there’s no room to breathe sometimes and the air always stinks of something, no matter where you go. He says nothing of school but Eren doesn’t question it. It’s not a very happy picture Levi is painting, but Eren is enraptured, hanging on his every word with his eyes gleaming, as green as the plants around them.

It’s incredibly foreign, to have someone his own age give him so much attention. Levi can hardly understand why Eren wants to stick around him after noticing how bad he is at extended social interaction.

“No lakes?”

Levi blinks himself out of his self-deprecating thoughts, and moves his eyes from where they had been gazing vacantly at nothing over to Eren’s face. His mouth opens and then closes without saying anything, and then he shakes himself back to normal. He doesn’t understand it, but Eren hasn’t left yet. No point in jinxing himself.

“…Well, not where I live. I’ve only ever seen a man-made river. But other places nearby must have them.”

Eren's eyebrows raise in shock at first, and then he ponders over this, giving Levi a break from talking. He stares at the wrinkle between Eren's brows and wishes it would disappear. It reminds him of himself.

“So you have parks with trees, but not any forests, and rivers that you can’t swim in.”

Levi makes a face.

“Swimming in them would be disgusting, don’t even think about it.”

Eren smiles briefly at Levi's expression before sinking back into his thoughts.

“I guess that kinda sucks,” he says eventually. After talking so much already, Levi chooses to respond with a shrug instead of words. He starts to pull out his lunch because of both his growing hunger and the new lull in conversation. Eating will give him an excuse to stay quiet for a bit. Eren eyes him with interest, and Levi smiles internally, satisfied at having guessed correctly that Eren might want to eat with him again today. When he offers him a whole orange, Eren looks at him in disbelief. “All for me? What about—”

Levi reveals a second one in his other hand, and Eren grins in delight and takes his one, cradling it gently in his palms.

Eren sits and observes before starting to copy Levi's peeling technique. Levi is impressed to see that he manages to get the skin off in one piece just like him, having thought that his enthusiasm would contrast the methodical way Levi likes to do it. He had certainly looked like he just wanted to tear into it. Eren's smile never fades as they each chew the fruit steadily. Eren seems to want to savour the taste as much as he can, licking his lips afterwards to chase the sweetness.

Levi finds it amusing that Eren tries to be subtle with the hopeful look he gives him next, those eager green eyes darting to his bag and away silently. It is with an actual smile that he hands over today’s sandwich, cheese as per his choice that morning. Eren scoots closer and wolfs it down, sighing happily before lying back on the grass. He sprawls his limbs and closes his eyes against the sunshine, and stays like that until Levi packs away the rubbish and brushes off his hands. He makes a mental note to bring hand-sanitiser in future, since the oranges make his fingers sticky. Eren blinks his eyes half open and squints as Levi settles with his book again.

“I like reading. What’s that one about?” he asks, voice slightly drowsy.

“An ocean adventure,” Levi replies simply, finding his page but not yet starting to read. Eren does nothing more than hum low at the answer, a half-smile gracing his lips. Since Levi is watching him closely, he can tell when Eren's breathing begins to slow and deepen. “Eren?” The boy flutters his eyelids but doesn’t open them, rolling over and curling up on his side close to Levi's hip.

“I’m sorry, Levi. I was so excited last night I never felt tired,” he mumbles. “So now I’m… sleepy…” Eren barely moves his lips for the last part, falling asleep with his hair fanned out around his head like a halo, his hands relaxed by his face. Levi scans over his features, his smooth cheeks and parted lips, and feels like peace radiates from Eren's presence. He turns back to his book a moment later, allowing himself to be pulled into the fantasy world.

Eren wakes as the sky turns a pale pink-orange just at the horizon, perhaps noticing the change in light or perhaps feeling the ladybug that had landed on his cheek. He had barely moved or made a noise in the time Levi had been reading, leaving him close enough to reach out and place a hand on Levi's wrist to get his attention. Levi jumps, having been so inwardly focused, but composes himself in the next second.

“I slept so long? Looks like it’s already time to go, Levi,” Eren says, a tinge of sadness in his tone. Levi chews on the inside of his cheek as he watches Eren assess the sky before turning to him. The day really had flown by.

“You must’ve needed the rest,” he says carefully, eyeing the way Eren's brows pull together and the downward turn of his lips. He tries again. “My mum says that sleep is when your body grows fastest, and it’s important for lots of other things.” Eren says nothing in return, and Levi maintains the silence as he is helped to his feet and once again guided to the flight of steps, although he mostly remembered how far away it was on his own. Eren stays at the bottom like before, and gives a subdued goodbye.

The melancholy attitude doesn’t suit him, Levi thinks. Or at least, he dislikes how Eren has dragged his feet the whole time they walked together, not casually touching in any way that Levi has swiftly come to expect from the other boy.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” he calls from halfway up, when Eren has made no move to leave. A breeze ruffles Eren's hair, lifting it away from his forehead, and Levi watches his mouth curl into a smile. Much better.

Come the next morning, Eren is back to normal, whatever had been bothering him apparently washed away in the night.

+++++

For the next few days, Levi goes down to that spot to see Eren, to sit and eat Levi's packed lunch and do very little. Eren does the talking, and Levi adjusts. He allows himself to grow more comfortable with meeting Eren's eyes, although he can still only hold the contact briefly. He doesn’t initiate touch between them, but does not shy away as much anymore. Since he’s always been quite aware of his body and how he does things – being alone gives him lots of time in which to self-evaluate – Levi is quick to notice that he’s looser around Eren. He can feel the change in himself, gradual but definitely there.

Eren's influence starts to make a difference when he’s in the house, too. He no longer jumps when Mikasa clings to his leg for balance, and he doesn’t sit so stiffly at the dining table. Words line themselves up on his tongue as sentences, no longer clipped and isolated when they leave his mouth. On the Friday evening, Uncle heads into the village and brings back food from the local fish and chip shop. Levi finds himself close to laughter when Mikasa stops eating her much smaller portion and clumsily covers her nose and mouth with both hands as soon as her dad covers his plate in vinegar. It takes a lot of coaxing from Auntie to get her to ignore the smell and eat again, and Levi is comfortable being used as an example of good behaviour for her.

Auntie slips into Japanese sometimes when she praises Mikasa, and Levi has already learned to recognise a couple of phrases. When Auntie says one to him as he washes up his cereal bowl one morning, he actually drops it. Luckily she doesn’t notice or find his reaction strange as the sound is muffled by the water, but he’s in shock for a long time.

“Are you sure you’re happy to go out by yourself again, Levi?” she asks him later. “Uncle and I are worried you’re going to be lonely.”

He fiddles with the straps of his backpack and hesitates with his reply.

“Um… actually Auntie… I’ve been meeting up with a friend,” he says quietly. Auntie’s expression changes from concern to happiness in an instant.

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Levi. Why didn’t you say anything? What’s their name?”

“His name is Eren. We met by the lake while I was wandering around,” Levi explained, glad that Auntie didn’t mind that he’d kept it to himself for the past couple of days.

“That’s nice,” she says with a genuine smile. “I don’t think I know him or his family, but it sounds like you’re getting along just fine. You shouldn’t stay cooped up in summer, but it’s much better to be outside with a friend, don’t you think?”

A little surprised, Levi just nods and gives her a small smile.

“The weather is so nice, too. It’s going to be warm and sunny today and tomorrow,” she continues. She puts a hand to her chin and hums to herself, looking over at Mikasa playing with a stuffed dog in the living room. Unaware of the eyes on her, Mikasa pretends that the sofa is a mountain, and makes the dog climb at an impossible angle. Then she tries to climb on the sofa herself, making Auntie laugh at her failed attempts. “I think I’ll go to the park with Mikasa later this afternoon, actually, once morning nursery is finished. Levi, would you meet us there? That way we can walk home together. Of course, Eren can come too. No need to keep any secrets from us, hm? I’m not that scary am I?”

At this, Levi blushes and shakes his head quickly. But then he remembers something that he had been too afraid to ask before.

“Auntie, have you heard anything from my mum yet?”

Her soft laughter quiets when she hears his question, but her smile doesn’t disappear. She knows he’s anticipating today’s call even more than usual.

“I’m afraid not yet. She must be busy with the doctors. Let’s wait a bit longer to hear from her, _ne_?”

Levi looks down, his hands picking at the hem of his top.

“Ok.”

Neither of them speak for a moment. In the pause, Mikasa manages to hop and wriggle her way into her chosen seat, and starts bouncing there happily. Auntie places a gentle hand on Levi’s shoulder.

“Go on and have fun with Eren. I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Mm, see you later.”

“Bye-bye!” Mikasa chimes in from her spot on the sofa, a biscuit clenched in her fist.

When Levi reaches the lake, Eren is wading barefoot in the shallows and doesn’t seem to notice him approaching. As he gets closer, Levi can hear that Eren is humming a song to himself, something he does often. He stops when he senses someone is behind him.

“Oh, good morning, Levi,” he greets, turning on his heel to face him. His eyes are bright as ever, Levi thinks. Unusually for him, he has a pair of flip-flops in one hand, which he swings back and forth. “Are you okay?” Eren asks, tilting his head. Levi blinks and realises that he hadn’t said anything in return, and then rushes to reassure him.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” he says nervously, hitching his backpack up into a more comfortable position. Eren squints at him, searching for something in his expression.

“Something just seems a little off, I guess. It’s nothing. I mean, you look as good as always so…”

Eren shrugs it off and kicks up some water. Meanwhile, Levi fidgets with his hair and looks away. How Eren can do this to him with just a few words, he doesn’t know.

“So, what do you want to do today. Swim? Go for a walk?”

Levi snaps back to attention, willing his face to cool down. Levi doesn’t swim very often at all, but since the temperature is already rising he can’t help but think that dipping his feet in the water would be nice, assuming the water is clean enough. However, he knows which of Eren’s options he prefers.

“As long as we can stay in the shade, I don’t mind walking somewhere. My aunt actually wants us to go to the park later, to see her. But we have hours before then.”

“Sounds fun! I haven’t been to the park in ages! And I get to meet your aunt, too,” Eren says happily. “So for now shall we head round the lake? There’s plenty of things I haven’t shown you yet, if you’re interested.”

Even before Levi nods in agreement, Eren is tossing down his flip-flops and slipping them on his wet feet. Levi huffs when he accidentally splashes him with cold water as he rushes out to where he’s waiting, but Eren just laughs loudly and tugs him forward.

The side of the lake where they meet is the least overgrown, since the sand isn’t ideal for most plants. Eren walks them around in the opposite direction to the village, and after ten minutes or so, they reach thick reedbeds and long grass. Eren goes first, flattening the stalks with each step and making it a little easier for Levi to follow.

“My legs aren’t that much shorter than yours,” Levi complains, without any real annoyance. Eren stops so that he catches up momentarily, and then pulls Levi into his side. Levi trips at the sudden change in direction, and then freezes while Eren wraps his arm around his back and grips his waist, pressing them together. It doesn’t register in Levi’s brain that Eren is comparing the length of their legs until he says,

“They kind of are, though. And look! You’ve got small feet too!”

Levi looks down and frowns, while Eren wiggles his toes and bumps their hips together playfully.

“Stop that,” he grumbles, stepping out of the half-embrace. “I’m still growing, kid.”

“Kid? We’re both twelve! You can’t call me a kid,” Eren chuckles. Levi crosses his arms, eyes narrowing.

“When’s your birthday?”

“The thirtieth of March,” Eren answers, curious why this would be important to ask now. Levi gives a decisive nod and shoots Eren a smug smile.

“My birthday is in December. I’m older than you, _kid_.”

He starts walking again, surprised at himself for his own teasing tone. Of course, Eren chases after him, and gives it right back.

“You’re fast for someone so _old_ , Levi.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“No. That’s not annoying. _This_ is annoying.”

Levi looks over just in time to see Eren reach out for him, but can’t dodge the poke to his side. He jerks and yelps, and when he sees Eren coming for him a second time, an evil grin on his face, he sets off running.

“Eren! Stop, I’m ticklish!” he shouts, but knows that Eren won’t stop just for that. His footsteps are just behind him, the two of them making so much noise that birds are flying from their trees all around. Levi is good at sports, but the sudden sprint has him already breathless, not to mention he can’t control his breathing through the laughter. He stumbles on the uneven ground, and just as he thinks he’s lucky he didn’t fall, he trips for real, the toe of his shoe caught on something hiding in the grass.

There is a moment of panic where he sees the ground rushing up to meet him in full detail, and then his momentum is halted by Eren grabbing his arm. Levi waits for his heart to slow down and his lungs to go back to normal before getting his feet back under him and standing with Eren’s help. Free hand on his chest, he turns to Eren and sags in relief.

“Thanks.”

“No, it’s my fault. Sorry for almost getting you hurt,” he apologises, his eyebrows pulled together and his face downturned. Levi can’t stand to see him like this after the fun they had been having.

“Hey, it’s ok. You were fast enough to catch me, so everything’s fine,” he says, fixing his rumpled t-shirt and blowing his windswept hair aside. Eren still looks at him with sad puppy eyes, and so he does the first thing that comes to mind. Eren flinches and covers his side with both hands after Levi jabs a hand out to poke him, and then bursts into startled laughter.

Much better, Levi thinks.

“There,” he says casually, “Now we’re even. But if you ever poke me again I will throw you in the lake, got it?”

“I’m in there so much already, that’s hardly a threat,” Eren retorts with an air of confidence, but he holds his hands up in surrender when Levi takes a meaningful step towards him. “Joking, joking! I get it.”

“You’re such a weirdo,” Levi mumbles, wondering how they got to this point but not complaining in the slightest. “Now, come on and show me what you wanted to show me.”

“I know. I’m weirder than you think,” Eren says with an easy smile, and holds out his hand. Levi stops for a moment to wonder why Eren would say that, especially in a more serious tone, but lets it go when Eren coaxes his forward again.

He takes Eren’s hand, thinking over it as a sign of truce, and lets him lead them between trees and onto a well-trodden path. They walk in silence for a minute or so, and Levi’s mind drifts in the peace and quiet of nature. Then, Eren slows down and gestures at the ground.

“Hey, can you see those animal tracks?” he asks. Levi crouches down for a better look. Since their hands are still joined, Eren does the same, able to point out individual pawprints better this way. There are only about three easily defined ones, small and dog-like, with little circular indentations where claws had pressed into the earth.

“Oh, yeah. What animal made them?”

“Well, those ones are from a fox. You can tell it’s not a dog because they have a bigger space in the middle of the paw between all the pads. But did you notice this one off to the side?”

Eren moves his arm further right, pointing to a different footprint just on the edge of where bare soil became grass again. Levi looks closer at it but shakes his head. Eren smiles like he’s telling him a secret. Their shoulders brush as he shifts his weight a little.

“This one can’t be a fox. It’s much wider and has five toes instead of four, and you can see the claws must be longer because of the shape of the paws and those indents.”

“Ok, so what is it, natureboy?”

“A badger,” Eren answers, looking pleased with himself despite the funny nickname Levi has just christened him with.

“And which one do you like better?” Levi asks, genuinely curious. Eren pauses, looking up as he pictures the two animals in his mind. The sun draws Levi’s attention to the highlights in his hair, and then Levi finds he can’t stop staring at how long and thick the other boy’s eyelashes are.

Levi is on the brink of blurting something stupid when Eren thankfully looks back to answer him.

“I don’t actually know. I’ve never actually thought about it.” He grins. “I mean, they’re both cute and fluffy, and also both have sharp teeth and claws. I think badgers look cuter when they’re on the move, waddling around y’know. Really I have no preference.”

Levi nods, more than a little pleased that Eren had taken his silly question so seriously, and wonders whether he would get a clearer answer if he asks what Eren’s favourite animal is. But then Eren stands to stretch his legs, and knocks that thought right out of his head with his next words.

“This is so much more interesting with you here, Levi,” he says, smile cherubic and hand outstretched again.

Levi opens his mouth, but then closes it again without making a sound. He doesn’t know what to say, a feeling that is becoming increasingly familiar. Slowly, he stands up too, eyes downcast and cheeks flushed as he brushes non-existent dirt off his shorts. He’s just picking at threads when Eren’s warm fingers worm between his own, taking hold by himself.

“Come on.”

They walk further around the lake, and although Eren is always leading, Levi doesn’t have to complain about getting sunburn even once. Eren had listened to him earlier, and now keeps them carefully under the tree’s cover whenever he can. There are birds in the canopy, and when their route takes them back close to the water they occasionally come across waterfowl nesting on the shore. Eren can name every single one, squeezing Levi’s hand every time to get his attention.

He doesn’t seem to realise that he already has it. Levi often finds he can’t look away, can’t concentrate on anything other than the boy leading him through the undergrowth. And at the same time, part of his mind keeps pointing out that he has nothing to impress Eren with, nothing that can explain the brunet’s fascination other than novelty.

They cross a stream with the help of a fallen tree, the old log thin but proven sturdy by Eren’s antics. Levi is thankful that he’s never had a problem with balance, minding the mossy patches that would make him slip and make a fool of himself. On the other side, Eren takes his hand again and turns them away from the lake, making their way slightly uphill.

“If you keep going this way you’ll reach the next village over,” he explains, as Levi tries not to tread on molehills. It’s not far before Levi can see they’re approaching a hedgerow, one with weeds and rabbit holes scattered at the bottom. “This is what I wanted to show you next.”

Levi looks around, curious as to what might make this place special, but can’t see anything obvious. The field beyond the hedge is well hidden, and the trees are the same ones they’ve been passing all morning.

“No, no, close your eyes first,” Eren says, dropping Levi’s hand and coming to stand in front of him. “Don’t open them until I say so, ok?”

Sceptical, Levi holds his gaze for a few seconds until it turns pleading.

“Fine,” he sighs, finally doing as Eren had asked. “You really are like a little kid.”

“No peeking,” is all Eren replies before going quiet. Levi stays still, more aware of small sounds around him, but it’s not long before a low rustling fills the area. A light breeze picks up, playing with his hair, and he can no longer tell if Eren is stood by him or has moved away. Levi’s eyelids flutter as he almost breaks Eren’s rule.

The rustling increases, a whispering noise almost falling into a recognisable rhythm before it all stops and fades at once.

“Ok, open your eyes now.”

Levi blinks, firstly noticing that Eren is now next to the hedge. He makes a sweeping gesture towards the bushes, and it is then that Levi sees what he somehow missed earlier. Levi takes a step closer, eyes on the blackberries that are now poking out of the wall of dark leaves. He must have overlooked them due to a trick of the light.

The berries are small and shiny. Levi can hardly see any that are still red and unripe in the brambles, which are tangled with themselves and the surrounding branches. Eren already has a hold of one arching stem, relieving it of its handful of heavy fruit.

“Here, Levi. Try them,” he says, eagerly offering one of the blackberries to him. Levi walks closer and examines it carefully, but then hesitates.

“Shouldn’t we wash these first, in case the--”

Levi can’t finish the word, sweetness suddenly bursting on his tongue thanks to Eren taking advantage of his parted lips. A mischievous smile spreads on Eren’s face, and he waves another blackberry between them.

Levi concedes that he’s not going to win this one.

The fruit tastes wonderful, tart but not unpleasant. They are actually one of Levi’s favourites, since they aren’t overly sugary, and he doesn’t have to be forced to eat another. Eren puts three in his mouth all at once, chewing and then sticking his tongue out to show of the dark purple stain the juice has left there.

“You like ‘em?” Eren asks, after laughing at the face Levi makes at him.

“Yeah, they’re really nice,” Levi murmurs. He reaches for more, sensing Eren looking over his shoulder.

“Watch out for the little thorns. Here, let’s pick some for your aunt. It’s almost time to go see her.”

Levi nods and they get to work. Thinking about how to transport the blackberries back to the village, Levi pulls out a handkerchief from his bag and drapes it over his open palm. He collects his berries in the centre, forming a small mountain that still leaves enough fabric for him to tie later. Eren, on the other hand, stretches out the front of his t-shirt and drops his into the fabric without a care.

“What? It gives me lots of space,” he says when he spots Levi shaking his head. It’s true that Eren can collect and carry more in comparison to Levi, though, so Levi also digs out the cap he’d shoved in the backpack, turning it upside down and treating it like a basket. He places his bulging handkerchief inside his bag, at the very top so that it won’t get squashed.

“So, should we head back the way we came?” Levi asks. The hedge isn’t yet picked clean, but they can’t hold any more between them. It’s already enough to feed a whole family, Levi thinks. Eren looks proudly at their haul, and then tilts his head.

“It’s actually quicker to keep going this way. We’ve come quite far around the lake already.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, didn’t you notice?”

Levi doesn’t admit to anything, but really he hadn’t paid much thought to time or distance as they had been walking and talking. He shrugs, an easy out, and tells Eren to go ahead and show the way again. Unfortunately, with his new load taking up the use of both of his hands, Eren can’t lead them in the same way, a realisation that seems to upset him momentarily. Levi nudges him with an elbow and gives him a small understanding smile.

The last part of their walk is partly sloping ground, and they both have to be careful not to drop their precious cargo. It’s more open in the last area, and they start to pass some benches and a dog-walker or two. They enter the village and meander through the outskirts until the reach one of the main roads. There are plenty of people out, and Eren gets multiple curious looks for his top full of blackberries, but they make it to the park without any mishaps.

Levi hadn’t bothered walking through the park before, but now he can see why he couldn’t find any children out in other parts of the village. Groups are here playing on the various climbing equipment, swings, and slides. The area dedicated to children is almost a quarter of the park itself, with a huge castle like structure in the centre, a combined football and basketball court fenced off to the side, and picnic benches dotted around in the free space.

Levi ducks his head as he and Eren walk past. Luckily, Eren doesn’t make any indication that he wants to join any of the other kids, and instead marches past all the shouting and screaming and heads to a mostly secluded bench. Levi brushes off a few leaves, and then once he deems it acceptable, they sit down together.

There is no graceful way for Eren to unload his blackberries, but Levi wishes he had at least given him some warning before he dumps them all on the picnic table. A lucky catch saves two from being wasted, and Levi’s arm slamming onto the table stops a dozen more from rolling onto the floor.

“If you’d told me what we’d be doing then I could’ve gone back home to borrow a bowl or something,” he huffs as Eren shuffles up against him. “Or you could at least have let me help you so they didn’t nearly drop on the ground.”

“It was a good surprise though, right? And we could’ve washed them if that happened.”

“Eren,” Levi groans, close to launching into a speech about food hygiene and the falsehood of the five second rule but knowing it would likely go in one ear and out the other at this point.

“So is your aunt here yet?” Eren asks, smoothly changing the subject. Levi props his chin in one hand, elbow on the table, and scans over the crowd. There are mothers everywhere, not to mention small children, but none of them are Auntie and Mikasa.

“No, I can’t see them here.”

“Ok.” Eren instantly looks bored as he surveys the parks. “Well, what do they look like?”

Levi describes them briefly, haltingly. There’s not much to say, and he’s not very good at it, mostly saying that Mikasa is chubby like all one-year-olds are. Still, Eren either has a keen eye or was searching for a family resemblance because he’s pointing to one of the park entrances a moment later.

“Is that her?”

Leaning forward to see past Eren’s wild hair, Levi locks eyes with Auntie, her straw hat artfully shading her face, and Mikasa strapped into her pushchair. He returns her wave and she strolls towards them. Eren stands as soon as she’s close enough to talk to.

“Good afternoon, boys. You must be Eren.”

Eren nods and holds out his hand, his demeanor changing as he looks at her.

“Hello, ma’am. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Auntie raises her eyebrows in pleasant surprise, shaking Eren’s hand gently.

“ _Ara,_ what a polite young man. Thank you for taking care of Levi, I’m glad we could meet today.”

“Levi didn’t tell me how pretty you were, Mrs Ackerman,” he continues.

Auntie goes from surprised to flustered, putting a hand to her cheek and looking happily at Levi. Eren bends down to greet Mikasa, who stares up at him with big, dark eyes.

“Hello, Mikasa, I’m Eren. Nice to meet you."

He holds his hand out again, and Mikasa gives it a few soft pats before wrapping a pudgy fist around his fingers and shaking them from side to side. Auntie is clearly amused and endeared by their exchange, cooing at her daughter. She waits until Mikasa lets Eren go, and then starts unbuckling her safety straps, lifting her out and onto her hip. She takes a seat opposite the two boys, arranging Mikasa and her wiggling limbs on her lap.

“So, what have you both been up to today. It’s busy, have you been waiting long?” she asks, rubbing at a mark on Mikasa’s cheek. The little girl is babbling and still staring at Eren, this time from across the table.

“We just got here,” Levi says.

“We’ve been picking blackberries,” Eren says at the same time, beaming. Auntie glances at both of them, and then finally down to the table.

“Really? I did wonder about these but... it’s so early for blackberries, they shouldn’t be in season for another few months. Where on earth did you find all of these big ones?”

“By the lake. We picked lots so that you and your family can have some, too,” Eren chimes in again, sitting up like an attentive puppy, waiting for approval. Levi sits quietly and lets him answer for the both of them. He hadn’t known that blackberries couldn’t usually be picked at this time of year. No wonder Eren had been so keen to take him to that one spot, if that’s a special place for early ripening.

“Well, that’s very thoughtful, thank you. It is strange, though…” Auntie lets the end of her sentence hang, but still reaches out and plucks a blackberry from the top of the pile, popping it in her mouth. Instantly, her face lights up. “Ah, they’re delicious. Must be a bit of summer magic around.”

Already restless, Mikasa bangs her palms on the table, grumbling to herself. Auntie shushes her softly, and moves her so that she can stand on the bench beside her, a hand on her back in case she starts to lose her balance. Once upright, Mikasa makes grabby hands at the pile of berries, still unable to reach them herself.

“Here, you want to try one?” Auntie asks, picking up a second blackberry and offering it to her. Mikasa opens her mouth to be fed, chewing happily once she has what she wants. She turns to look at her mother and bounces in place, obviously finding that she likes it. “Do you like it? Is it yummy? Can you say ‘yummy,’ Mikasa? Yummy. _Oishii_.”

Auntie repeats the words one more time, nodding at Mikasa when she starts making attempts. Eren claps his hands when it sounds like she almost has it in Japanese, and Mikasa looks at him and giggles.

“Eren!” she shouts, clear as a bell. The Ackermans are both speechless, shocked that she had picked up on his name without repetition or fumbling much on the phonetics. Meanwhile, Eren is ecstatic.

“Yes, that’s me! Clever girl!” he says, feeding her another blackberry like a treat. She bounces more and more, and then says his name again. “Ok, ok. Now Levi. Say ‘Levi.’”

Eren grabs Levi’s shoulder with one hand and points with the other. She switches her focus to him, and blinks slowly. Then she gives him an open-mouth smile that shows off her baby teeth.

“Levi!” she shouts, twice as confident and less clear because of it. But still, it’s the first time she’s said his name, and Levi does feel a small tug in his chest. Her hands hit the table again as if to punctuate her statement. “Lee. Eren."

“Very good, Mikasa, wow!” Auntie praises, emphasising her words in an effort to make Mikasa understand. She cuddles her and presses a kiss to her cheek, which makes her squeal with laughter. “How did you do that, Eren?”

“She did it all by herself,” Eren says with a lopsided smile, picking up more blackberries to eat and share around. Another one is being pressed to Levi’s lips before he can protest, and he’s glad that Auntie is too distracted to see Eren doing it.

And stays distracted while he gives in.

“Well, she does seem full of happy energy today,” she muses, fixing Mikasa’s hair and pink, cotton dress.

The four of them eat and chat, managing to finish a good portion of the blackberries and transferring the rest to Mikasa’s sun hat, which she is refusing to wear. Auntie leaves Eren and Levi for a little while in order to follow Mikasa around the toddler section of the play area, happy to let her tire herself out. Later, Mikasa runs back and holds out her arms to Eren and, after looking at Auntie for permission, he picks her up and sits her down between him and Levi. It’s there that she nods off, and has to be carried to her pushchair so that she can be more comfortable. The bell in the tower of the village church rings five times to signal the hour, and it is agreed that they should call it a day.

Halfway along the familiar road to the Ackerman house, Eren slows his pace, lagging behind as they get closer to the place where they will have to part ways. He says goodbye to Levi quieter than usual, but doesn’t seem particularly sad.

“We can walk you home, Eren,” Auntie offers, looking slightly concerned.

“No, I’m fine. I don’t have far to go. Thank you, though,” he replies. “See you soon,” he says to Levi, and then he turns to head down the southern footpath, the one that Levi uses to get to the lake. Eren looks over his shoulder twice, waving each time because Levi is there waiting until he’s out of sight.

Being on the other side this time, he can see why Eren seems to hate watching him walk away. It is, without a doubt, the worst part of the day.

Mikasa groans and wakes up when Auntie starts pushing her again, her late nap short but sweet. She cranes her head around the sides of the pushchair, and wrinkles her forehead when she notices there’s one less person around than when she fell asleep.

“Eren? Where’d he go?”

It’s one of her favourite phrases from her limited vocabulary, the words often blurring into each other when she says it quickly. She says it when birds fly away from her, when her father performs sleight of hand, and when she drops cherry tomatoes from her highchair and they roll under the table; the last instance is almost always paired with a tiny ‘ _uh-oh_ ’ too.

“Eren had to go home,” Auntie explains.

“Home? Daddy home?”

“Daddy’s still at work, Mikasa. But he’ll be home soon after us. And then Mummy and Daddy and Levi and Mikasa can all have dinner together.”

“Eren dinner?” she asks innocently. Auntie looks at Levi, thinking for a second and then giving him a warm smile.

“Maybe another day.”

Levi listens to the rest of their conversation silently, their interactions never failing to bring him a sense of peace, like everything would be alright because they loved each other.

At night, he dreams of his mother and the open sea.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget the joy of the big bang: this fic has art to go with it!! look at them and cry with me tbh
> 
> [art by yuu](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/post/170717663744/a-late-dedication-to-erenfanclubs-super-sweet) \- [art by m](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170546630550/my-pieces-for-the-ereribigbang-i-was-very) \- [collab art omg](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170581669790/i-like-surprising-you-as-long-as-it-makes-you)


	3. Chapter 3

 

Levi oversleeps. Impossible, but true. Having never needed an alarm before in his life, he does a double, then a triple take at the wall-mounted clock when he rolls over in bed, stretching out in his self-made cocoon. The time doesn’t really register in his brain until he throws open the curtains and sees how bright and strong the sunshine is.

His mother would not approve of the word he says then.

Rushing down the corridor to the bathroom, Levi thinks of what he’s going to say when he eventually makes it to the lake. Eren will have been waiting a long time, without any explanation. He’s not the kind of person to skip any of his morning routine, but he does hurry to make up for it. When he is out in the upstairs corridor again, clean and dressed, he hears cries coming from downstairs.

On the bottom step, Levi grips the bannister and leans out to peek into the kitchen.

“...Auntie, I’m going out now,” he calls tentatively. A high-pitched wail drowns out the last half of his sentence.

Mikasa’s face is scrunched up and blotchy where it is visible over Auntie’s shoulder. Auntie cradles her against her chest, rocking her gently, but it doesn’t stop her crying. On her next pass by the small dining table, Auntie turns and spots Levi for the first time, her expression showing a conflicting mixture of relief and apology.

“Oh, Levi, I’m sorry if Mikasa woke you. I don’t think she’s feeling well today.”

“Ah, no that’s okay, I was already up, getting ready to go out.”

“Oh, to the village? Then, Levi, could you do me a big favour? Your uncle needs this package to be posted today and I really don’t think I’ll be able to make it out with Mikasa like this. Could you carry it to the post office? And then, if it’s not too much trouble, could you pick up a bag of rice and a bag of potatoes? That husband of mine failed to mention that we’re running out of both all of a sudden.”

It’s Levi turn to be conflicted, then. He had no plans to take any detours on his way to meet Eren, but at the same time he can’t refuse and abandon Auntie when she looks so genuinely frazzled. He doesn’t want to say no, if he can help in any way.

“Sure, Auntie. Where’s the package?”

“Oh, thank you!” she says, a small bit of tension dropping from her body. With the hand that had been absentmindedly patting Mikasa’s back, Auntie points out a square box set on the coffee table, already labelled with an address. Levi picks it up and finds it weighs more than he had been expecting, but makes no complaint.

“Here, use this.”

Auntie hurries over with a cotton tote bag, which she unfolds and hands to Levi. It’s just big enough to fit the package into.

“Now, the post office is run by an old couple. Uncle will need a receipt for this so make sure you ask for one, especially if the old man is the only one in. He works quickly and knows his stuff but can be scatterbrained. Here’s the money for the postage cost and the groceries, there’s extra there so please do buy yourself a treat while you’re there, anything you like,” she says. At the door, she gives him a once-over and frowns to herself. “Sorry the box is heavy.”

“I’ve got it,” Levi tells her, hefting the cumbersome bag into a better position on his shoulder. Auntie readjusts Mikasa at the same time. The youngest Ackerman is still sniffling, but has twisted to watch Levi leave.

Levi shuts the front gate behind him, and hears Mikasa begin to scream again.

It’s a fifteen minute walk into the village centre, and for part of the journey Levi has a corner of cardboard swinging and hitting his thigh. He takes the path that doesn’t curve down to the lakeside, avoiding temptation for the time being.

The post office is managed in one of the village’s older buildings, with a thatched roof and concrete steps up to the entrance. The sign is small and the door is weathered, but natural light comes through the front windows and makes the inside airy and welcoming. Levi studies the card racks and stationery displays while queueing behind two other people.

Luckily, he ends up being served by the old woman, who asks enough questions to cover anyone’s forgetfulness, and has his postal receipt printed and ready with his change. A wall of glass separates the clerks and customers, like Levi is used to seeing in banks in the city. To him, it feels out of place in such a slow, quiet environment. The money is passed through the narrow gap under the glass, but he has to carry the package to the end of the counter in order to pass it along to be processed. He slips the receipt into his pocket and a man who is just entering holds open the door for him as he leaves.

In comparison to the post office, the village store is much more modern, tucked away behind other older commercial buildings like the baker and butcher. It has a bigger sign to make sure it can’t be missed, as well as its own car park and bike racks outside. Levi crosses the road and walks through the middle of the village square to get to it, the automatic doors sliding open as he nears them. Air conditioned aisles greet him inside, with bright fluorescent lights hanging high above his head. It’s busier than the post office, many people looking for something for lunch as it nears midday. Potatoes are first in Levi’s basket, and then he hurries to find rice. Mentally comparing the prices to the supermarket he and his mother frequent at home, Levi queues up and counts out his money, preparing himself so that he can be done as soon as possible. It’s only as he’s walking up to an open till that he grabs a single chocolate bar and adds it to his total.

Levi reuses the cotton bag, sighing at the fact that Auntie’s requested items aren’t light either. He switches shoulder on the way back to the house, barely taking in the scenery in his drive to finish his errand and finally get to where he needs to be.

“I’m back,” he calls into the house as he toes off his shoes. Auntie comes out from the living room, Mikasa no longer in her arms and a tired smile on her face.

“Welcome back,” she replies in a hushed tone. “That was quick. Was it not very busy?”

Levi shakes his head, moving to place the shopping bag and postal receipt on the kitchen table and wondering why Auntie is almost whispering. Back in the archway, he follows her gaze and sees Mikasa on a blanket on the floor, lying on her stomach with one leg curled up and a thumb slipping out of her mouth.

“She finally calmed down enough to swallow some medicine and then dropped from exhaustion after trying to run away with that blanket,” Auntie explains, starting to put the potatoes and rice away and clean up Mikasa’s long-forgotten breakfast bowl. “She does like to fight me, sometimes,” she adds with a fond, amused smile.

“I’m glad she stopped crying,” Levi says, inching towards the door again. “Um, is it alright if I go see Eren now?”

“Of course, Levi, did you go past him while you were out? Sorry to have kept you, and thanks so much for the help. I’ll be here doing laundry if you need me at all, okay?”

Levi nods and pulls his shoes back on, hopping on one foot to be out the door that much quicker. He jogs down the lane to the familiar footpath and staircase to the lake, taking the steps two and a time and skiddling briefly on the loose rocks at the bottom from the speed. The beach is empty, Eren nowhere in sight, so Levi heads right, hoping to spot him around the next bend in the path. Just as he’s coming up to their usual meeting place, Eren pounces from behind a tree and makes Levi jump.

“Boo!”

Levi glares at him, and the intensity of it manages to make Eren’s cheeky grin change to something more sheepish.

“I know I’m late but does that mean I don’t get a regular hello?” Levi asks, crossing his arms.

“I was bored! What took you so long, Levi?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I slept ridiculously late and then had to run errands for my aunt and uncle.”

Levi relaxes and lets go of his slight irritation, just in time for Eren to engulf him in a hug.

“It’s boring without you,” the brunet confesses, a secret whispered into his ear. Levi leans into the embrace and loosely wraps his arms around Eren’s lower back.

“If it happens again… just come and find me or something,” he mumbles into Eren’s shoulder, the scent of grass and something comfortingly familiar surrounding him. He feels Eren nod although he can’t see it, and then steps back, away from the heat of Eren’s body. Eyes averted momentarily, he notes that Eren has foregone shoes again today. He huffs a laugh at the strange habit instead of overthinking about how dirty his feet must be.

“So, natureboy, if I’m forgiven, what should we do today? I rushed out without bringing anything.”

“Oh, no, Levi. You’re hardly forgiven without serving punishment. Today, you have to… do whatever I say.”

Not much different to the usual, Levi thinks wryly. He gives an exaggerated sigh.

“I guess I have no choice.”

“First order: stop being sarcastic!”

Levi raises an eyebrow and smiles at Eren’s attempts to hold in his own laughter, unable to take himself seriously. They tease each other back and forth while Eren chooses where they walk. It’s an easy route along the shoreline today, and they don’t go far before Levi sees something new.

“Was that there before?” he asks, pointing to the short wooden jetty jutting out into the lake a short distance in front of them. Eren skips up to it, plucking a bulrush as he goes and gesturing with it as if it were a conductor’s baton.

“Oh, yeah. We just happened to run past it yesterday while I was chasing you,” Eren says with a sly wink. “This is actually the old one, although it’s still standing. It hasn’t been used since the new one was built closer to the main entrance near the village.”

Levi joins Eren at the start of the jetty, and notices that the grey planks blend into a gravel road where it is set into the grassy bank. He turns his head to see where the road leads, but the forest further back has grown over it without any regular use. There was something whimsical about it, the road that lead deeper into the greenery.

“Let’s go sit out on the end, it’s a really nice spot.”

Eren taps Levi on the nose with the tip of the reed, and laughs when it gets swatted away.

“Don’t ruin it,” Levi warns.

They walk out, over the water, the jetty thankfully sturdy beneath their feet. Posts are situated at intervals along its length, and around one Levi notices a coil of old rope, algae changing its original colour. Since it’s on the same side he’s walking on, he’s able to glance over the edge of the boards, and sees that the rope belongs to an old rowing boat, half-hidden under the jetty. It no longer floats, a hole in the hull rendering it useless, but the water hasn’t washed away all of its green and white paint, yet.

“What are you looking at?” Eren calls when he notices Levi lagging behind.

“Just wondering why this was left behind,” Levi says, pointing down at the abandoned vessel. Eren half skips to his side and looks over.

“Oh yeah, I forgot that was there. It’s been ages, maybe whoever owned it didn’t want to mend it.” Eren tilts his head, and then adds, “I bet I could fix it, though.”

Levi squints at Eren, trying to figure out whether he had been joking.

“Uncle is a carpenter, and I think it would even take him a while to do that. The hole is bigger than my head.”

Eren hums thoughtfully, but doesn’t say anything to counter Levi’s point.

“The hole kinda looks like a heart, don’t you think?” he says tangentially, and then gestures for Levi to keep walking with him after Levi agrees that it does, although it’s quite lopsided.

When Eren gets to the last plank, he sits down and beckons Levi from where he’s standing back. Levi peeks over the edge again, this time observing that the water level is high enough to lap over Eren’s feet. He takes his shoes off before mimicking Eren, the cold water sharp at first and then soothing.

“I didn’t expect the water to be so clean,” he says, thinking out loud. Eren hums at his side, kicking and splashing Levi’s lower legs playfully.

“It’s not a protected place for conservation or anything, but people look after things here. It makes a difference, doesn’t it?” he says. He takes a deep breath and leans back on his hands. “This is one of my favourite places.”

“I can see why. It’d be a good place to read.”

Levi crosses and uncrosses his ankles, making swirls and eddies in the water. Even though it’s cloudier than the previous days, the light still reflects beautifully off its rippling surface. In the corner of his eye, Eren twirls his bulrush and its long leaves that were still attached to the stem. When he starts peeling the grass-like leaves off, Levi interrupts him before he can toss them all aside.

“Here, gimme those for a sec.”

Eren pauses his fiddling, his eyes curious as he hands them over. Levi tries to ignore the gaze burning a hole through him as he tries to remember how to create the shape he can see in his head. Setting his materials in his lap, he braids some strands together, and then starts weaving.

A few minutes later, when Levi holds out his finished product, Eren’s jaw drops. The bulrush flower is quickly discarded.

“Wow! Levi, how did you do that!?”

A tiny grass boat sits in Levi’s palm, its style similar to a canoe or gondola, with twisted knots holding together the prow and stern, its tallest points. The middle of each side dips down low, the grass flexible but not fixed very tightly. Levi hands it to Eren so that he can marvel at it closer, shrugging off the amazement.

“It doesn’t look that good, I mean, I wasn’t really trying. You can stand a leaf in it and make it look like a sailboat to make it fancier. There wasn’t a lot of grass to work with but--”

“But nothing! You still did it. Ah, I wish I’d paid more attention when you were making it, I want to make one too! One big enough to sit in.”

“Well... that one… it’s for you.”

Eren lifts his head, joy making his eyes sparkle. Or maybe it is just the water, a trick of the light.

“Really? Thank you.”

Levi nods and makes an awkward shrugging motion to show its no big deal, wishing he still had something in his hands to fiddle with and distract himself. Eren looks restless, like he wants to hug him or something, but with his hands cradling his gift he has to find another outlet.

When he leans in to kiss his cheek, Levi loses all coherent thought.

“I love it. Do you think it would float?” Eren says, but with Levi currently out of commission he’s basically talking to himself. Levi curls inward, a hand coming up to touch his cheek.

His fingertips feel nothing but heat, which makes sense because his face is on fire. Not to mention his heart.

He mumbles something unintelligible, a poor excuse for a response but all he can offer, and Eren nods as if it had been an acceptable answer. The brunet kicks his feet in the water again, still holding the grass canoe like it is made of glass. He quietly turns it this way and that. Levi can’t tell what he’s thinking, but it gives him time to organise his own thoughts.

“You just kissed me…” Levi murmurs. Eren lets the words sink in for a moment, finally seeming to pick up on Levi’s tone of disbelief and shocked expression.

“Yeah… I did,” he replies, like a confession, with a hint of worry edging into his voice.

“But…” Levi’s eyes dart to Eren and then quickly away again. “You just _kissed_ me.”

“Levi, are you okay? I mean, was it okay?”

Levi fixates on the grain of the wood beneath him, mind still racing.

“Only my mum kisses me.”

“Oh. Is that a rule?”

Eren tilts his head and frowns slightly, disappointment pulling at the corners of his mouth. Levi looks up, unable to understand his reactions. Everything with Eren can be so confusing.

“What? No. But kissing someone means you like them or whatever.”

Pouting, Eren leans in to Levi, not letting him look away. The proximity reignites the blush in Levi’s cheeks, but despite the nerves he holds the eye contact and doesn’t move.

“Well, I just want to be near you and think about that kind of stuff all the time. Is that… wrong?”

Eren looks heartbroken, hanging his head, and Levi feels a tight squeeze in his chest. He gapes for a second, and then hurriedly tries to backpedal.

“No, no, Eren, you’re fine. I was just… surprised,” Levi finishes lamely. With the way his heart is fluttering, he decides it would be better to not ask more about Eren’s intentions, or the reasons behind his easy affection. “I didn’t hate it or anything like that. I know you like contact, that’s just how you are. You caught me off guard is all.”

Quietly, Eren mulls over Levi answer, putting space back between them.

“I like surprising you, as long as it makes you smile,” he says after a long pause, turning to give Levi a soft, happy look. Levi blinks slowly, dumbfounded that this one boy could care so much about him.

“It’s enough that you’re the one always smiling,” he replies, trying hard to keep his voice steady.

The breeze ruffles a few strands of Eren’s hair, blowing out across the water, and even though they don’t always see things the same way, Levi is grateful that they always have time to figure each other out without interruption. Eren’s gaze returns to his gift, and Levi feels shy all over again.

Then, just when Levi is starting to relax beside Eren once more, he jumps up in excitement, pointing out over the lake.

“Look, it’s Mike!”

“Huh? Who?” Levi asks, but Eren is too busy waving an arm above his head and calling for attention.

“Mike! Mike, over here!”

Levi squints in the direction Eren’s focussed on, spotting a lone boat moving towards the centre of the lake. It is coming from their left, where the village is, and a bulky figure, presumably Mike, is powering the oars.

“I’m gonna ask him to take us out with him. Then I can give you something, too! A boat for a boat,” Eren says, looking down at him. He pauses, and then adds, “Well, it’s Mike’s boat, technically, but you know what I mean.”

“Eren, you don’t have to--”

“Mike! Hey!”

Levi can tell when the man hears Eren shouting, since he lifts his head and looks over at the two of them. Mike changes course, steering his boat over to the old dock.

Levi has the strong urge to hide. He fights it. His feet make wet prints next to Eren’s on the dry wooden planks as he shifts to stand up.

“Eren, are you sure that’s okay? We’re disturbing him.”

“Of course, it’s fine. Mike likes having me on board, he says he catches more fish,” Eren tells him with a grin.

“I don’t even know him.”

“He’s nice, I promise. Doesn’t talk much, but that’s just the way he is. The closed season for fishing has just ended so he’ll be too busy concentrating to pay any attention to us. You can pretend it’s just you and me, okay?”

Levi is not fully convinced, but the less he has to talk, the better. Mike gets closer, pulling the boat up parallel to the jetty in a smooth maneuver, and Levi finally notices that the man is a giant. He wonders if the boat is custom-made, because despite his height his long legs don’t look cramped at all. In fact, he seems very at home in his seat. He’s younger than Levi had been expecting, not a single grey hair on his head.

“Hi, Mike. Long time no see,” Eren says, nonchalant as he puts a hand on his hip. Mike gives a short nod as his greeting, his gaze moving from Eren to Levi after a few seconds. Cautious and feeling plain, Levi stands straight, unable to strike a casual pose like Eren. Mike’s shaggy, dirty blond hair falls into his eyes, but Levi can tell he’s being looked at. “This is my friend Levi. We were hoping we could join you for a while.”

Proving himself to be the silent type, Mike simply grunts his assent. Eren perks up again, almost immediately hopping into the boat. He carefully places the grass boat in a safe place, where it won’t be sat or trodden on, and then turns back to hold a hand out to Levi.

“Let me help you in.”

Unsure about the amount of wobbling he had just seen when Eren jumped aboard, Levi remains firmly on the jetty for a long moment. But the pressure of both Eren and Mike staring at him breaks his resolve. His shoulders are tense as he takes Eren’s hand for balance, Mike now maintaining a strong grip on the nearby post to keep them steady. Levi clambers in and avoids making a fool of himself, somehow, dropping onto the bench behind Mike with a quiet sigh of relief.

Strangely enough, the man sniffs him twice before getting back in position.

It is only when the boat is already drifting away that Levi realises his shoes are still on the jetty, neatly waiting in the shade of one of the end posts. All this for a natureboy, he thinks, sighing internally over his mild loss of sanity. Luckily for him, the boat is clean, flawless white paint coating the interior, in contrast to the pale yellow exterior.

“You okay?” Eren asks beside him.

“I’m so dumb.”

“What? No you’re not.”

“I... can’t really swim. Haven’t been to a pool or near this much water since my dad was alive. He and mum were teaching me, but we don’t have the time now.”

“Oh.”

Levi kicks himself for revealing that bit of information at an awkward time, wondering why the words came out like that without thinking. Luckily, Eren recovers quickly and doesn’t pry, smoothly continuing the conversation without poking the subject of parents.

“Well, you won’t end up in the water, I promise. And I’m great at swimming so I could rescue you, anyway.”

“That’s good… because I will absolutely be dragging you in with me if anything happens,” Levi warns. Eren pouts and then laughs, but really Levi had only been half-joking.

Rowing looks like hard work, but listening to the paddles slicing into the water in stereophonic sound is soothing. Levi and Eren face the opposite direction to Mike, their backs to the man, so they look ahead to where they’re travelling, the lake spread before them. It takes only a couple of minutes until Mike brings them to a stop, far from shore, and Levi looks over his shoulder and watches curiously as Mike reaches under the panel at the back end of the boat and brings out his fishing gear.

“Mike comes here to fish when he wants to escape from work. His car has a trailer for this boat, which is called the _Banana._ ”

Levi is worried that Mike will be bothered being spoken about like this, but the man himself makes no move or either stop or join the conversation, so Eren has free rein to talk about whatever he likes. It truly feels like he has Eren all to himself.

Levi feels better about this impromptu excursion, now that he’s here.

Fishing is for the patient, so Levi knows something about Mike already. The blond sits like a statue, not once turning to look at the boys behind him, his focus fully on the red float bobbing a few metres away.

Slouching over the edge of the boat, Eren dips his fingertips in the water, his body language lazy and content. After a while, he starts to hum a tune different to any Levi has heard from him before.

“What are you doing?” Levi asks.

“Waiting for the fish to come. That’s all fishing really is, with a short challenge at the end of it.”

He continues humming, the melody building gradually. And as soon as he removes his fingers from the water, Mike gets a bite.

Levi knows nothing about fish, so has no idea what Mike reels in, but he doesn’t interrupt him to ask. Retrieving his line and the fish successfully, Mike quickly measures his catch and then releases it back into the lake. From his back pocket he pulls out a small notebook with a pencil banded to the spine, and writes something down; Levi assumes its the size and type of fish.

Eren watches Mike’s practiced motions with mild interest, his chin in his hand. With nothing to do but think, Levi lets his mind drift for a few minutes.

He is brought back to the present by a flick of cold water on his cheek.

“Hey, what was that for?”

Eren flashes his a cheeky grin, wiping his wet fingertips on his shorts.

“You were being too quiet.”

“And what do you expect me to say?”

“Yes.”

“Yes? Yes to what?”

“To me asking you for a dance.”

“A dance?”

Levi feels like a parrot, but conversations with Eren sometimes require more clarification than usual.

“Of course,” Eren says.

“Yeah, right.”

Despite what Levi thought had been plain, obvious sarcasm, Eren takes his response as permission to haul him up from his seat. Levi bumps into his chest, but quickly finds his balance again; if he hadn’t, he wonders if they both would’ve gone overboard. With a look of exasperation, Levi straightens up and tries to take a step back. Eren’s hand stops him.

There is a quiet pause. And then, as if to the cue of a conductor, Eren makes the first move. He sings a song without words, only sounds and repeated syllables making up the notes of the melody. With their arms positioned like Levi has seen in ballroom dance on television, Eren holds him close in their limited space at the prow of the modest boat.

Using Mike as their counterweight, Eren slowly sways and spins them, placing each foot carefully, not wanting to step on Levi’s toes. The distance between them hardly grows, only just enough for Levi to glance at the deck briefly before his eyes are drawn upwards again. Eren’s tune is upbeat after the lilting introduction, and it carries them through the motions naturally.

In order to twirl Levi in the next phrase of his seemingly well-rehearsed song, Eren nimbly steps up onto the bench and raises one of Levi’s arms. Following the momentum of their last spin, Levi does as he is bid, moving under the bend of Eren’s elbow, a shy smile appearing on his face. Eren joins him on the deck again, expertly weaving their bodies back together, feet exactly where they should be in the dance.

He’s a good leader. But, then, Levi kind of already knew that. Things seem effortless whenever he’s holding Eren’s hand.

Feeling lighthearted, and also emboldened by the song, Levi widens his stance, using his initiative to lead Eren on the next turn and dip him gently at the end of it. Surprised, but smiling, Eren’s song comes to a natural end, and in the resounding silence that follows, he stares up at Levi with stars in his eyes.

“I’ve always wanted to dance like that. That went even better than I imagined,” he whispers. “You don’t know how amazing you are, Levi.”

Embarrassed enough for his knees to knock together, Levi pulls him up from his graceful arch before he drops him, or worse. With the song no longer caressing his ears, he realises what a strange sight they must make, and that Mike can see it all. It’s almost like the burst of a bubble, a space that Eren had created for them with music.

“Sorry. I don’t know where that came from,” Levi murmurs, bashful. Laughing freely, Eren pulls him into a quick hug.

“It made me really happy. Did you like my song?” he asks.

“Yeah, I liked it. I’d never heard it before.”

Eren winks, and then gently fixes Levi’s hair.

“It’s a special song in my family. I’ll sing it for you anytime, though.”

Eren gestures for Levi to sit back on the bench, taking his own seat afterwards and asking what kind of music Levi likes and whether he has a favourite song. From there, their conversation bounces around many different topics thanks to Eren’s boundless curiosity. Belatedly, Levi remembers the chocolate bar in his pocket, the one that he had bought as an apology for being late today. Eren is delighted at the sweet snack, and the two share it equally at his insistence.

Birds fly above them, Mike continues to catch and catalogue fish, and time flows fast. The sun is just above the tallest trees when Mike signals that he’s done for the day.

“Mike, Levi can row us back,” Eren says when the man starts moving. Levi whips round on hearing that he’s being volunteered, looking at Eren with eyebrows raised.

“I can what?”

“Here! Mike switch with us! You can tidy away your stuff here instead and relax.”

Eren’s brilliant idea has them switching benches, putting Levi in the hot seat while Eren stands and guides him from over his shoulder.

“Eren, what are you doing?”

“I’m in charge of what we do today, remember? Okay, so grab an oar in each hand like this, and pull them close with your elbows bent.”

In the spotlight, Levi does as instructed, immediately finding the long oars to be heavy and cumbersome. They don’t move how he wants them to, at all, but Eren keeps up the encouragement.

“Start with both arms extended straight out in front of you. The oars will tuck in to the sides of the boat… Yeah, like that! And the bumpers on the poles keep the oars in place. Now, bring your hands towards you in an arc. Ah, no you don’t have this paddle flat. Here, twist it this way.”

Levi tries to get the hang of the rhythm and motion, Eren’s pointers hardly stopping. The boat won’t move in a straight line, due to Levi’s power being unbalanced one side or the other, but they are moving eventually. Often, Levi finds that his oars only skim the surface of the water, and he wants to blame his short arms, but Eren keeps him going like a professional coxswain. Once Levi knows what a proper stroke feels like, it’s easier to adjust, and he actually starts to enjoy the experience.

Levi makes it most of the way to the new pier, and then Mike takes over to make sure they dock safely and without any bumps. Muscles tight from the sudden workout, Levi stretches and twists his torso to lessen the ache. Eren gets out first to help Levi again, and rubs his back in a soft, warm massage.

“Thanks,” Levi says, rolling his shoulders.

“You did great! That’s another new thing done today.”

“Y-yeah.” Levi looks down at his feet, and then sighs. “Ah, my shoes…”

“Your shoes? Where are they?” Eren asks, turning around and searching Mike’s boat.

“I left them back on the other dock. I need them back, but can’t walk all that way like this.”

Eren quirks his lips to the side, rubbing his own bare feet together.

“Sorry, I don’t have any with me that you can borrow. But wait here and I’ll go get yours!”

“No, Eren, you don’t have to. It’s my fault in the first place,” Levi tries to argue, but Eren’s mind is made up.

“I won’t be long, Levi. Look after this for a sec.”

Taking Levi’s hand and holding it out, Eren deposits the little grass gondola in his palm. Then, before Levi can stop him, he’s jogging away, weaving past people and out of sight. Levi closes his mouth, and quietly accepts that he’ll have to stay in one place until Eren returns.

“Has he told you yet?”

Levi startles slightly at the unfamiliar voice, turning to look at Mike curiously. The man is crouched on the pier behind him, and has paused in his packing to face Levi. His expression gives nothing away.

“Told me what?” Levi asks, puzzled but intrigued by what Mike might deem as worthy of speaking about. Mike’s stare is steady and intense as he watches Levi, seemingly looking for something although Levi has no idea what that could be.

“You’re good for him,” Mike finally says. It’s not an answer to Levi’s question. In fact, it only brings new ones to the front of Levi’s mind. “When he finally tells you, be mindful of what you say. Friendship and trust are beautiful things.”

Levi thinks carefully about Mike’s words, more and more certain that this conversation holds some importance, but he can’t make sense of it all right now.

“I don’t really know what you’re trying to get at, but Eren is the best friend I’ve ever had. I won’t do anything to hurt him.”

Mike’s already hidden brows rise further under his hair.

“Ah, blunt honesty. You’re a very mature little man. You and him danced well together.”

Levi flushes but forces himself not to look away or retreat. Mike gives him a conspiratorial smile.

“It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re a kid, but telling the truth brings people closer,” Mike continues. “I think he’ll let you in soon, and when he does, remember what you just said. And if you’ve got any secrets of your own, just know that Eren will hold them sacred.”

Levi frowns, wishing he wasn’t so perplexed by this whole exchange. Mike finishes with what he had been putting away and then stands to his full height, making Levi look up at him. After a breath, Mike reaches up and ruffles Levi hair.

“Sorry to be so serious. My advice is to be open, and don’t overthink it.”

“Thanks?” Levi says, uncertainty turning the word into a question. He smooths down his hair with one hand, accepting Mike’s friendly gesture without complaint since he’s thinking of other things. Mike nods once, and then walks back along the pier. Levi watches as he pauses mid-stride and calls over his shoulder,

“Also, my boat. It’s actually called the _Nanaba_. I just dislike ruining Eren’s fun.”

Levi huffs a short laugh. It must be a special skill Eren has, to wrap people around his finger without even trying.

When Eren calls his name a few minutes later, waving Levi’s shoes above his head like a trophy, Levi pushes his concerns aside and greets him normally. If Eren is hiding something, then Levi can be just as patient as Mike and give him time.

Truthfully though, he pictures himself as the one who is being reeled in, hooked and happy about it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget the joy of the big bang: this fic has art to go with it!! look at them and cry with me tbh
> 
> [art by yuu](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/post/170717663744/a-late-dedication-to-erenfanclubs-super-sweet) \- [art by m](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170546630550/my-pieces-for-the-ereribigbang-i-was-very) \- [collab art omg](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170581669790/i-like-surprising-you-as-long-as-it-makes-you)


	4. Chapter 4

 

The next day brings drizzling rain, the kind that doesn’t look like much but falls for hours. Levi likes rainy days. He likes the sound, and the smell of it out in the country is more interesting than in the city, the foliage releasing new scents in the dampened air. But for once, he wishes it wasn’t raining.

A coat had not been on his list of items to bring with him from home, and so he would have to borrow an umbrella from Auntie and Uncle to go outside sensibly. He debates the pros and cons of telling them he’s going out to see Eren for so long that when he finally decides, he comes downstairs to find the umbrellas already in their hands, the two adults putting on their shoes in the entryway. Mikasa being held by her father, her head resting on his shoulder while he awkwardly tries to get ready without jostling her. Although she hadn’t been crying today, she is still listless and craving physical touch.

“Ah, Levi. It’s a good day to stay inside, but we’ve got no choice, unfortunately. Auntie and I need to head to town for a while,” Uncle says when he spots him on the bottom step. “You’ll be alright here for a bit, right?”

“We thought you might get bored if you came with us, but it’s up to you, Levi,” Auntie adds, her concern more clear on her face. “If you stay, I’d be grateful if you could babysit Mikasa. She’s still getting over her little fever from yesterday and could do with some more sleep.”

Levi looks between them, his plans quickly derailed. His feelings have definitely changed since the first day he came here, no longer needing to close himself off completely, but one thing that has stayed the same is that he doesn’t want to be a burden to them while they’re looking after him. Just like when running errands the previous day, Levi knows that the responsible thing to do is to help out however he can.

He tightens his hand on the bannister.

“I’ll stay and make sure Mikasa gets her rest,” he says.

“Thank you, Levi,” Auntie says with a smile. “We’ll be as quick as we can, although appointments and shopping and things can always take longer than you think. Don’t open the door to strangers and call us if you need anything, our mobile numbers are on the side of the fridge, next to the phone.”

“Okay.”

“The TV is all yours,” Uncle laughs, bouncing Mikasa gently. Apparently she disapproves of either the noise or the action today, and pushes at his chin to get him to stop. “Sorry, little lamb. Here, Levi, Mikasa isn’t often apart from us so this is the first test so see if she’ll be okay.”

Uncle slows lifts Mikasa from his chest and holds her out to Levi, who steps closer to take her, tense for her reaction while she’s in this mood. There’s a small sound of protest while she’s in between bodies, but Mikasa settles in the same position in Levi’s arms, her forehead overly warm against his neck.

He rubs her back to soothe her further, knowing she’s not feeling completely better yet. It really is best for her to stay home.

“We’ll be fine,” he assures everyone.

“Looks like it,” Auntie says, relieved to see them cuddled up easily. “You’re so sweet together. _Anata_ , remind me we need to take some photos on a better day.”

“Of course, it’s a golden opportunity.”

Levi suddenly feels the same temperature as Mikasa.

“Y-you don’t want to miss your appointment,” he mumbles.

Noticing his embarrassment but kindly pretending to ignore it, Auntie pats Uncles arm.

“Yes, we should get going.”

Auntie checks they have everything, while Uncle searches his pockets for where he’d placed his keys while carrying Mikasa.

“Be good,” Uncle calls from the doorway, and Auntie ushers him forward and waves to Levi and Mikasa, the former returning the wave. Listening to the car engine start up, Levi carries Mikasa to the living room, flipping on the television to her favourite channel and sitting down with her in his lap.

“It’s just you and me, now,” he sighs, resigned to not moving much for the next couple of hours. He hopes that Eren isn’t waiting for him in this weather, and that he understands they’ll need to postpone their meeting for another day. However, it’s easy to imagine him splashing around in all the puddles, running into the rain instead of out of it.

It’s become so natural to see him every day, but things are out of his control this time.

Mikasa’s interest isn’t held by the show currently playing, and instead she joins Levi in staring at the rain through the glass doors that lead out to the deck. Auntie’s plants are bowing under the weight of all the water as it gets heavier and heavier. Not for the first time, Levi wonders about Eren’s home. Does he have somewhere inside he can curl up and watch the rain too?

Levi’s musing are cut short when Mikasa squirms to the edge of the couch, pushing off Levi’s knees and twisting to slide to the floor.

“Mikasa, what are you doing?”

“No,” she says firmly, still gripping his leg. Anticipating some difficulty, Levi watches her closely.

“You don’t want to watch TV?”

“No,” she repeats. Levi can see where this is going, but figures that he might get some sort of insight to the problem sooner or later.

“Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Want a drink?”

“No.”

“Want to play a game.”

“ _No_.”

“Naptime?”

“No-no nap,” she says, and then slumps to her knees dramatically. It would be much more convincing if her voice had more energy. “ _You_ nap,” she slurs into the cushion.

Levi shrugs.

“Okay,” he replies, and then carefully lifts his legs up onto the sofa and shifts until he’s lying down. “Night-night.”

Levi pretends to sleep, but leaves one eye slightly open so that he can watch Mikasa’s reaction. She looks up at him straight away, her tiny eyebrows furrowed and bottom lip sticking out. Half a minute later, she whines and leans into the sofa next to him.

“ _Leaf_ ,” she says, dragging out the vowels, and Levi is confused until he realises that she’s trying to say his name. Still, he keeps up his act. Boredom is starting to get to her, and not long after this she stands up again and crawls up next to him. It’s a lot of effort for her to do herself while tired, so Levi uses one arm to help her the rest of the way. She shuffles closer to him, and lays her head down by his chest, making herself as small as possible.

Pleased at his own simple trick, Levi pats her head gently.

“Don’t give me your germs, okay, kid?”

Though he knows she doesn’t actually understand his words, Mikasa still shushes him, bossy despite giving in to Levi’s choice of activity. Amused, Levi sticks his tongue out at her, and she puts a finger over her mouth and then presses it to his lips to reiterate her point. Levi scoffs, but makes a show of closing his eyes again anyway.

A while later, Levi discovers that he’d underestimated how wriggly a tired one-year-old could be. There’s not a lot of space for them both on the couch, and Mikasa is trying to take more than her fair share, so he doesn’t get to relax for very long. On the positive side, she is being quiet and no longer complaining, so he lets it slide. She isn’t doing it on purpose, after all.

He plans to enjoy the relative peace for as long as he can, but then something out in the garden catches his eye.

“...Eren?”

A head pokes round the corner of the deck, brown hair slick with water, and Levi sits up so fast that Mikasa grumbles at him loudly. He stares in disbelief as Eren sneaks closer to the glass, peering in with a look of intense concentration.

He breaks into a wide smile when he meets Levi’s eyes.

“What the hell,” Levi breathes, aware of Mikasa rolling over in his peripheral vision. Eren must be trying to read his lips, because he mouths a quick ‘ _hello_ ’ back to him. Levi clicks his tongue, and jerks his head in the direction of the front door, standing up without even checking that Eren gets the message.

On the porch, Eren shakes most of the water from his hair. Levi shields himself from stray droplets with one arm, keeping Eren on the other side of the threshold with an unimpressed look.

“Why are you creeping around the house?”

“I didn’t know which one was yours so I’ve had to spy in windows for a few houses. I’m glad you were downstairs just now!”

“Eren, you don’t have to come out and see me in the rain, especially without knowing where I am.”

“Rain doesn’t bother me, it’s still warm out. And yesterday you said that if you were ever late again I should come and find you myself.”

“But…” Levi thinks back, remembering that Eren is telling the truth. He sighs. “I did say that. But now you’re soaked. Auntie and Uncle are out right now but I guess you should come in. I’ll get you a towel.”

Levi steps aside to make way for Eren, giving him a wide berth as he’s still dripping. Luckily Eren is sensible enough to be wearing his flip-flops again today, and so Levi can tell him to leave them at the entryway without worrying about dirty footprints in the house. He fetches a fresh towel from the closet upstairs while Eren waits by the door, returning quickly and throwing it over his head without ceremony.

“It’s like taking in a stray dog,” Levi says flatly, starting to dry Eren’s hair himself. A muffled laugh comes through the towel. Levi rubs harder and more forcefully, smirking when Eren’s hands come up to stop him and take over.

“Ah, thanks, Levi.”

“Do a good job or feel my wrath,” he jokingly threatens, stepping back and crossing his arms. “I’ve never asked to have someone over, so we absolutely can’t make a mess.”

“Okay, okay,” Eren replies, his smile still firmly in place when he lowers the towel to dry his arms and the rest of his body. “Has anyone ever told you that you can be quite intimidating?”

Levi narrows his eyes.

“Do you need to borrow some clothes?” Levi asks, choosing to ignore that last comment. Eren’s cotton t-shirt is sticking to his shoulders, although his shorts seem like they have missed the worst of the summer shower.

“Nah, it’s fine,” he chuckles. “I’ll dry off quickly in here.”

Levi is deciding whether he should be slightly more insistent about getting him a change of clothes when Mikasa whimpers and then starts crying in the other room. He cringes.

“She probably thinks she’s been left alone,” he explains to Eren. “Come on.”

Mikasa is face down on the couch when they walk in, one leg hanging off the front, her cheeks red and her eyes already watering as she looks up a moment later.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Eren says sympathetically. He rushes over and kneels down in front of her. Surprised to see her new friend from earlier in the week, but still upset, Mikasa stares at Eren without greeting him.

There’s a long moment where she and Eren simply look at each other, and Levi feels like an outsider to a silent conversation. Some kind of understanding is flowing between them.

“She’s been ill since yesterday so I wouldn’t get too clo--”

Before Levi can finish his sentence, Eren cups Mikasa’s face and presses their foreheads together. Instantly, she stops crying. Eren hums six notes, repeating the phrase over and over until she bursts into giggles. When that happens, Eren stops his song and rubs their noses quickly. With her plump cheeks squished and her lips pursed, it’s a logical next step for Mikasa to start blowing raspberries. Eren keeps vigorously nuzzling her for another few seconds, and then pulls back, wiping the tear tracks from her face before breaking their connection.

It’s like Mikasa has been transformed, her skin still reddened but her eyes now full of life and her expression animated. She holds her arms out to be picked up, and Eren complies, lifting her high and spinning her playfully. Levi is awestruck at the change.

“There we go!” Eren sings, bouncing Mikasa down and then up again, ending the game with her resting on his hip. She swings her legs and squeals in a request to go again, but Eren has switched his focus to Levi.

“... She really likes you,” Levi says cautiously. “What did you--”

“Don’t worry about her now, she’s feeling much better,” Eren cuts in. “I just had to find the right song for her. Isn’t that right, Mikasa?”

Excited babble is his reply.

“If you want to take over my babysitting duties then go ahead,” Levi says. He grabs the discarded towel that Eren had been using and dabs at the wet spot Mikasa had left on the sofa. “She didn’t want to do anything with me.”

“Oh, really? But you were all curled up together when I looked in the window.”

Levi freezes in his cleaning, standing up abruptly.

“Forget you ever saw that. I have to… put this away.”

Balling up the towel, Levi turns on his heel and hurries upstairs to his room. He tosses it towards the hamper in the corner, missing the first throw since he isn’t paying attention. The damp bundle stares at him from the floor, messy and out of place.

Levi stops to take a deep breath. He puts himself back in order, and then picks up the towel and tries again, properly this time, folding it beforehand.

When he returns downstairs, he finds that Mikasa is showing Eren her blocks, running between the sofa and her toy chest in the corner to hand each one over separately.

“Thank you,” Eren says every time, stacking his growing collection into a tower on the coffee table. Eventually, Mikasa realises what he’s doing, and watches intently as the latest block is placed carefully on top of the others. Then, with a cute roar, she pushes the tower down, laughing at the destruction. “Oh no!” Eren exclaims, pretending to be both amazed and afraid of her power.

From this perspective, Levi can see why Auntie had wanted pictures.

“What a mess,” he says, dropping onto the cushion next to Eren, who turns and grins at him. Untroubled, Eren gathers up the blocks that had been knocked onto the floor and starts stacking them again. This time, Mikasa copies him, making her own, less balanced tower. When Eren goes to fix her precarious placement, she stops him firmly.

“No! Mikasa do it,” she says, guarding her tower and pouting. Eren makes a placating gesture and leaves her to it, moving back to sit on the sofa next to Levi. Starting her building again, Mikasa chatters to herself in a mixture of real and made-up words. Eren glances out at the rain, then around the room, before his gaze stops on Levi.

“It’s nice in here. The wood carvings are everywhere, so cool.”

“Uh, yeah. Auntie says they’re running out of space but Uncle keeps making them, so…” Levi shrugs and trails off, smiling slightly as he thinks of Auntie’s fond exasperation when she rearranges side tables and windowsills for new additions. As he looks towards the kitchen, he suddenly realises he’s forgotten something. “Oh, would you like a drink?”

“Yes, please,” Eren replies, hopping up after Levi stands and heads to the fridge.

“Sorry,” Levi mumbles, while collecting cups for them. “I should’ve offered earlier. I don’t have to, um, host people often.” Eren shakes his head and waves off Levi’s apology, taking his orange juice with a wide smile.

“Thanks. And don’t worry, I would’ve asked if I really needed one,” he laughs. Belatedly, Levi thinks that he should’ve put ice in their drinks. Ducking his head, he takes a small sip and wonders if he should offer snacks, too. He decides against it while Mikasa is within earshot; she isn’t allowed to have too many and Levi doesn’t want to send her into a tantrum.

“Right, sure. So what do you want to do?”

From there, Eren is happy to direct their plans. Mikasa occupies herself but can’t be left alone so they stay in the living room. She occasionally looks to them for support and approval of what she’s doing, but showcases her independence while Levi digs out some board games. Weirdly, Eren doesn’t seem to know the rules of even the most popular ones Auntie and Uncle own, but he enjoys Levi explanations for all of them. It makes it difficult to decide which one to start with, but they follow Eren’s suggestion and try them all. It’s funny to Levi how Eren will huff and get heated over the game, bending the rules to make new strategies. Still, he isn’t a sore loser after the game ends, which is fortunate because Levi keeps winning.

It’s strange for Levi to think that, hours before, he thought the weather would keep them apart, because now he can see that it’s become a way for them to get closer.

Levi takes Mikasa upstairs for an afternoon nap, noticing her usual sleepy expression make an appearance shortly after their quick lunch. She’s quiet in her crib, and Levi’s side-eying her changing table and hoping her parents get back before he has to use it, when he registers Eren isn’t behind him like he had been on the stairs.

He finds him in his bedroom, where he’s looking around curiously. Levi is conflicted for a moment, a knee-jerk reaction, but calms when he realises that Eren isn’t touching anything. Besides, he’s let him in this far.

“You’re really neat,” Eren observes, rocking back on his heels.

“Well, I didn’t bring that much with me, since I’m not here for long.”

Eren frowns at that, probably his first truly unhappy expression Levi has seen from him in days.

“Plus, we’re out together so much that I’m not in here to make much mess,” he hurriedly adds, fiddling with the position of the fox carving nearby. He glances at Eren a second later and sees him starting to smile again. Then, Eren turns his head, staring out of the window. Levi can’t help but worry that he’s hiding his face from him.

“Thanks for letting me hang out here today, Levi. Sorry for intruding, I’m gonna head back now.”

“What? Now? Wait, why? You weren’t intruding. It’s still raining, too.”

“Well, I came uninvited and your aunt and uncle will be back soon, and I’ve got some other stuff to do today.”

Speechless, Levi follows Eren to the front door in a daze. He wishes he could re-do their conversation.

“I’ve had a lot of fun today,” Eren says, sounding slightly nervous. Levi looks at the ground, feeling the distance between them, one hand gripping the opposite forearm. In front of him, Eren is quiet, shuffling his feet.

Then he’s being enveloped in a tight hug.

“I don’t really want to leave, y’know,” Eren murmurs, his cheek pressed against Levi temple. Levi takes a deep breath, one full of Eren’s scent faintly mixed with rain. Or is it his mother’ scent that his brain is conjuring?

“See you tomorrow?” he says, unsure. Eren leans in impossibly closer, trying to mould them together. He leaves an unforgettable impression when he does let go.

“Tomorrow,” he confirms, before slowly opening the door, jogging down the steps, and hopping the fence.

+++++

For days following his impromptu visit, the weather improves and Eren frequently gets lost in thought. Levi never confronts him about it. After all, it’s easy enough to pull his attention back to the present, and it’s not like Levi isn’t guilty of drifting off now and then himself.

His mother’s calls are routine, but she’s not getting better. She should be, Levi knows she should be after this much time, but the weakness and fatigue is still there. Even more so than the first week, since their calls are significantly shorter than before. And because Eren still pays close attention to him, he regularly asks if anything is wrong.

He pretends all through the next week, distracting Eren with card games since he found a pack in the house and everything about them is new to Eren, as Levi had half-expected after the novelty of board games. After explaining ‘Go Fish’ to Eren, he instantly dubs it his favourite and wants to play it with Mike. But one day, after a particularly restless night and before the deck has been shuffled, Eren asks him again, and Levi takes the opportunity to open up for once.

Eren’s concern is genuine, to the point where Levi feels worse for burdening him with his life, although Eren swiftly puts a stop to that.

“If you don’t tell me then how could I help?” Eren asks earnestly, stunning Levi with the force of his gaze alone. His guilt is banished for a moment, but that leaves room for doubt to crawl in.

“No one can help her. She said the doctors sent her home again because they couldn’t do any more for her, that she should rest at home. They want to free up her hospital bed, I overheard Uncle say the hospitals are too full. They’ve tested pretty much _everything_. And it’s all ‘inconclusive.’”

Eren furrows his brows even more, clenching his jaw.

“I… I don’t know what inconclusive means,” he admits, eyes cutting to the side. “But I could do something. I _can_ do something. Believe me, I can. If you let me try.”

It’s hard to smile, lingering on this topic, but Levi manages a small one anyway. Steeling himself once more, Levi wipes under his eyes with the heel of one palm. Even if Eren had just been saying it to make him feel better, he knows he can’t give up hope. Now is not the time for tears, though they had come so quickly. When Eren looks up at him again, Levi speaks with a steady voice.

“Yeah. I know you don’t want me to apologise, but sorry for making you stress over this. I just wish I was with her as well. I’d do anything for her to be alright, so if you have an idea let me know.” Levi reaches up and ruffles Eren’s hair in an attempt to break to tension. Between them, Levi is the mature one, and in a situation like this, he thinks he should act like it. “Anyway, I have to believe she’ll be back to normal soon. Thanks, Eren. Can we just go back to normal, too? Take my mind off it for a bit, y’know?”

The fiery determination in Eren’s eyes flickers for a moment, and then is gradually controlled and quietened.

“Of course, Levi. Show me how to shuffle the cards like a pro again. I think I’ll get it today.” He grins, redirecting his tenacity into something physical.

If the cards end up a little bent, Levi doesn’t mention it.

By sunset, Levi feels lighter, and Eren waves to him from the bottom of the concrete steps like nothing is wrong. It’s easier to go back to the Ackerman house and put on a brave face after hours with a friend.

However, the next day, Eren is nowhere to be found. Considering his own lateness before, Levi sits on the grass bank in a place where he can be easily spotted and waits patiently. Hours pass with no sign of Eren, though, and feeling off-kilter, Levi gets up to search further.

It’s fruitless, and he has no clue where to go beyond the places Eren has taken him to before. Dragging his feet up the hill while the crickets come out, Levi comes home to smiles and warm conversation that he can’t return.

A second day in a row without Eren is unprecedented. Levi can’t focus on his book for even half as long as he had the previous day, his worry now splitting two ways. He walks around the lake once, combing the bushes for even a glimpse of brown hair or green eyes and leaving empty-handed.

Back at the edge of the village, he spots Mike and runs to him without hesitation. The man is still sitting in his truck on the road that leads to the pier, and rolls down his window when Levi knocks on it. Unfortunately, Mike can’t give him any leads either. He doesn’t seem to find it particularly strange that Eren had disappeared for a couple of days, stating that he goes weeks between seeing him sometimes.

But Mike isn’t Levi.

Leaving Mike behind, Levi wanders for the rest of the day, calling out Eren’s name when he’s in a place with no people, and cycling through so many emotions that it leaves him too nauseous to eat Auntie’s dinner.

On the third day, subdued panic battles with numb emptiness inside his head. At one point he thinks the birds are singing one of Eren’s songs but knows that it must be his sleep-deprived mind hearing what it wants to hear.

Overtired, and without many other options, Levi spends the rest of the afternoon sitting on the grass bank for the umpteenth time, scanning the surrounding area for movement. He must drift off briefly, because he nods awake to a splash in the lake and jerks upright to find the sun much lower in the sky.

His lip is raw from how much he’s been biting it, but his teeth set into it immediately.

That is until he sees the white paper folded and waiting on the the third concrete step. Halting mid-step, Levi stares at it for a moment. If it weren’t so neat and perfectly placed in the centre, he’s sure he would’ve overlooked it. Still, he assumes it is litter until he picks it up to check and finds his own name written on the other side.

He had wanted a clue, any clue, but this is not exactly what he had in mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget the joy of the big bang: this fic has art to go with it!! look at them and cry with me tbh
> 
> [art by yuu](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/post/170717663744/a-late-dedication-to-erenfanclubs-super-sweet) \- [art by m](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170546630550/my-pieces-for-the-ereribigbang-i-was-very) \- [collab art omg](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170581669790/i-like-surprising-you-as-long-as-it-makes-you)


	5. Chapter 5

 

About two hours after Auntie and Uncle have gone to bed, Levi is still lying awake in his room, listening for any sign of movement in the house. Deep down, he knows his reluctance is just an act, playing the part of the good child who would never do anything wrong. The truth is, he’d decided what he was going to do the moment he read Eren’s note. He has to find him and talk to him, ask him why he disappeared for so many days, why he couldn’t have said something sooner.

Why he left Levi all alone.

He’s sure his thoughts are loud enough to be heard across the road at this point. Putting on his pyjamas had been necessary to not raise suspicion with Auntie or Uncle, but after another ten minutes without anyone coming to investigate or raise any alarms about his secret plans, Levi swings his legs off the bed and starts to get changed. The temperature has dropped with the setting sun, so he dresses in a shirt with longer sleeves along with the denim shorts he had been wearing earlier.

After brushing his teeth in the evening, Levi had surreptitiously checked and memorised which floorboards might creak and give him away on his way downstairs, so his biggest worry is the front door. His steps are silent along the upstairs corridor, and as quiet as he can get on the somewhat noisy staircase. Once in the entranceway, he moves a little faster, tugging on his shoes and then searching the various drawers and baskets for the flashlight he’d seen Uncle use on a previous evening.

Unfortunately, five minutes of searching brings no results. In the glow of the porch light coming through the window, Levi bites back his rising frustration and the urge to slam the last drawer shut, taking a deep breath and thinking of where else to look. As he scans over the kitchen and part of the living room, his eyes linger on the door to Uncle’s workroom. There were plenty of tools and odds and ends in there. Maybe he’d taken the torch in there the last time he’d used it.

The living room carpet muffles his footsteps as he creeps through the house, and the hinges on the workroom door are well oiled, so there’s no problem there. However, the room itself is littered with hazards, although none look too precarious. It’s darker on this side of the house, making things more difficult, and Levi has to squint at silhouettes and guess at multiple objects while his eyes adjust.

His search finally takes a positive turn when he reaches the back corner of the room. Underneath the end workbench, which is covered in clamps and handles of all shapes and sizes, Levi pulls out a metal camping lantern. It’s hard to move it without a sound, but Levi has to test it before he can celebrate his lucky find. The bulb inside takes a long time to warm up, but gives out yellow-orange light in all directions, and will work well enough for Levi. Happy, he turns it off and picks it up by the handle, being careful to not knock it against anything as he makes his way out of the workroom, shutting the door behind him.

The front door is big, heavy, and safely bolted. Feeling guilty, Levi takes a key from a nearby hook and turns the main lock. The click is loud and seems to echo. Paranoid, Levi stiffens and doesn’t move for almost half a minute afterwards. He grimaces as he reaches up for the sliding bolt, knowing that it won’t shift on the first tug, no matter the force. It sticks, as usual, and when it finally gives, the metal slams into the other side like a hammer. Levi’s heart skips a beat, and then pounds against his ribs. At this point, he decides that he just needs to get out.

With his borrowed key, Levi locks the house again, exposed in the sphere of light cast by the porch light. Twitching and eager to be gone, he skips over the two steps and lands on the gravel path, taking off at a jog with his shoulders hunched.

On the road at this edge of the village, the street lamps are spaced far apart and are older than Levi would ever see in the city. Some are metal, but others are wooden posts; these ones hardly give out any meaningful light. Levi avoids them all, taking a detour into the grass. It is here that he turns on the lantern again, holding it up in front of him and walking slowly to his destination. A flashlight would have given more direct light, but Levi can’t focus on that now.

He trips a handful of times, but never completely loses his footing, although his free hand is grazed on the rough bark of a tree the third time he has to catch himself. The sting irritates him as he presses further on.

Eren just had to tell him to meet at night. What was he thinking?

It’s a relief to reach the open space of the beach. Everything looks different in the dark, and Levi had doubted his path more than once in the last ten minutes. But here, he knows exactly where to go, and he doesn’t waste any more time.

After all this, what if Eren has been and gone?, Levi asks himself. The note had said he’d be waiting, but the whole thing filled Levi with uncertainty. He had so many questions, and he could talk to Eren better than most, but still, he could see himself having trouble with any oncoming confrontation. Apprehensive, but too stubborn to turn back now, Levi heads right, sticking to the waterline so that he won’t miss the old dock.

The sounds of the forest at night are hard to pinpoint, to the point where Levi felt surrounded on all sides, his senses on high alert. Bug buzz isn’t as constant as it is in the early evening, but there’s more snapping twigs and quick-moving rustling. Levi doesn’t trust any of it. The warm glow of his lantern catches on a pair of reflective eyes ahead of him, and he holds it higher to make sure it will be safe to move on. Thankfully, the wooden jetty is caught in the lamplight, too.

Levi elongates his strides and lets out a breath when his feet hit firm wood.

Eren is nowhere to be seen, and Levi chews at his lip as he turns this way and that, lantern swinging and casting long shadows in the trees behind him. He walks up the overgrown path first, checking that Eren isn’t hiding in the bushes for a joke again. When nothing jumps out at him other than a moth drawn to his lantern, Levi wanders back to the jetty. Confusion and worry mix in his head. His gut clenches.

With few choices left, Levi walks down the dock to investigate every plank. He half expects to find another note, or something else to show that Eren had arrived earlier. If he finds nothing, Levi will aim to stay until sunrise. It might mean hours of annoyance and disappointment, but he’ll do it.

It’s rare for him to feel so strongly about another person. And at this rate, he thinks that feeling is going to make him do stupid things.

Halfway down the jetty, Levi hears a mysterious thump, wood on wood. He takes a few cautious steps, and then the dull thud happens again, gentler this time. He finds the source at the end of the jetty.

It’s a rowing boat.

Bumping against the second-last post, it bobs in the water despite the surface of the lake looking mostly still. As the only boat he’d ever seen come out here was Mike’s, Levi assumes it the _Nanaba_ , although he has no idea why it would be tied up to this dock overnight. Upon having a closer look, lowering the lantern to see better, Levi notices that the boat is painted green, not yellow, and is smaller than the one he had been expecting.

Then, something else green catches his eye. On the centre of the rower’s bench, his grass-woven boat sits. He knows Eren had taken it with him that day, and that he’d loved it enough to do so and wouldn’t leave it for no reason. So why was it here?

Without thinking, Levi steps down into the boat and picks up his delicate creation. It looks exactly as it had when he gave it to Eren, except on the inside, it now houses two tiny daisies, side by side. Resting the lantern on the bench, Levi nudges one flower gently with his finger, and finds that it’s short stem is carefully twined with the other, and then woven into the existing pattern of the boat.

“Eren…”

It’s nothing too intricate, just like the boat itself hadn’t been special when he made it, but still Levi lingers on that detail, turning it over in his mind.

However, his momentary calm is shattered as the boat beneath him moves forward, out into the lake.

Levi can’t help but yell, the sound cutting off halfway as he tries to quiet himself again. Desperately, he twists to check the mooring rope, but is unable to find it. Either way, it certainly isn’t tying him to the jetty anymore, and he drifts away from it helplessly. The boat is moving in a fairly straight line, and with no oars in sight, Levi attempts to stop that by rolling up one sleeve and using his hand to paddle back in the direction of land. Unfortunately, the slightly panicked splashing is just that, and does nothing to propel him in any direction. In fact, the boat seems to move faster.

A few seconds later, Levi hears a distinct splash from the rear of the boat, like something had breached the surface. Scrambling back to the relative safety of the centre of the boat, he clutches the bench and looks around himself. The lantern isn’t powerful enough to extend his vision very far, but the crescent moon in the sky is the brightest he’s ever seen, reflecting off the water and making clear silhouettes out of the trees. The forest is a long way away, the distance stretching with his uncertainty, but Levi tries to keep a level head. Rationally, the sound could have been an animal, but whatever it had been sounded big and close by. There’s not much to illuminate out here on the lake, though.

Levi really doesn’t like being kept in the dark. Not when it comes to Eren’s whereabouts, and definitely not when it comes to his mother’s illness. And yet it had happened. And apparently will keep happening at this rate, with him being powerless to do anything. All he gets are too-short phone calls, or notes left for him to find without explanation.

Floating in the middle of the lake alone, Levi hangs his head and mutters a litany of colourful curses. The anger makes his chest ache. Eyes squeezed shut, Levi trembles with it, and when it demands to be let out, he does so by hurling the grass boat out as far as he can throw it.

Hand empty, he regrets the action a moment later, crawling to the side of the boat where he threw it and hoping that the little thing had been too light to go any distance. It could have fluttered harmlessly to the water just in front of him, he tells himself.

When he can’t see it anywhere, he clenches his jaw and sinks his head into his hands, his elbows pressing heavily into the top edge of the side of the boat. He hisses quietly as the cuts on his palm are stretched and aggravated.

“Please,” he pleads to empty air, not really knowing what he’s asking for at this point. “Please, please, please.”

Levi knows he should think about what to do next, but in that moment it’s just too hard. Instead, he wipes his mind clean and listens to his own heartbeat slowing down.

A small splash and a quiet exhale breaks his concentration.

Lowering his hands, Levi first notices the grass boat, floating as proudly as a grand ship about an arm’s length away from him. Then he looks up further, beyond it, and at the edge of his sphere of light sees Eren treading water, his hair completely wet and slicked back from his forehead.

“Are you kidding me.”

“Levi, I can ex--”

Levi slams his palms on the side of the rowboat. He ignores the resulting sting.

“Are you _kidding me_ ! Eren, if you brought me out here for a prank or a midnight swim you better shut your mouth _right now_ and let me go home!”

Eren recoils, his eyebrows pulling so close together that it strains his forehead.

“Wait, Levi, please listen to me.”

“Why are you in the water?” Levi cuts in, glare in full force. “Get in the boat if you want to talk.”

“I can’t at the moment. That’s what I’m--”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you must be cold, and you’ll get tired.”

“Levi, I--”

“Don’t you think you could’ve told me you were here back at the pier? Didn’t you think I’d be worried about you, and worried when the boat started moving ‘by itself?’ You better have a damn good explanation.”

“Le--”

“Where the hell have you even been, anyway?”

Levi briefly wonders, in the unaffected part of his brain, why he had ever worried about being unable to talk to Eren once they were face-to-face. The questions and demands are spilling out of him practically unbidden, driven by emotion. But he knows they’re both going to end up mute with frustration if they continue like this.

Eren stares at him, expression apologetic but unsure whether he can speak now or not. Levi flippantly gestures for him to go ahead. Sinking slightly, Eren drops his eyes and fidgets.

“Levi, I’m so sorry to make you scared or angry. In my head you came here without a problem, got in the boat, and I brought you here calmly to have a talk. That was the plan… how I pictured it, but… it hasn’t happened that way, has it.”

The simplicity of it is so Eren that Levi tightens his grip on the edge of the boat, his mouth twisting as he tries to figure out what he’s feeling. Part of him wishes he had another language to curse in. The other part however...

“You’re an idiot,” he says flatly, after a long silence. Eren looks up at him through glistening lashes, swimming a little closer, his arms just below the surface.

“I know. I haven’t been thinking straight. I’ve been… scared.”

“You disappeared.” A whispered accusation. “I was worried. I had no idea where you were.”

“I had a good reason I promise!” Eren insists, swimming closer again. “ _Please_ don’t freak out. I just wanted to do something nice for you and make you happy and --”

“Say that again,” Levi interrupts. It snaps Eren out of his rambling, his expression shifting to confused.

“What? Make you happy?”

“No, before that.”

Levi leans forward.

“I wanted to do something nice? Please don’t freak out?”

Eyes fixated on Eren’s mouth, Levi stiffens when he realises that what he had seen when Eren said ‘please’ had not been a trick of his imagination. He can’t reach far enough to touch Eren, but at the same time wants a closer look.

“Your teeth… Eren what the…”

Eren’s eyes widen, and then he covers his mouth. Levi can practically see the cogs turning in his mind as he chooses his next step, and then the acceptance as he tosses aside his best laid plans.

“It’s… actually part of why I brought you here.”

He smiles in a way that’s so familiar, but Levi is admittedly surprised by the sharp, inhuman teeth he flashes with it.

“Levi, do you remember what I first asked you when we met?”

It’s Levi’s turn to stumble in the conversation, not expecting to be reminiscing about anything out on a lake around midnight. He thinks for a drawn-out moment.

“You asked me if I was a cat?”

Eren nods, and Levi gets caught thinking of the scene as a fond memory, as strange as it had been. Now, there are pointed teeth biting Eren’s lower lip, and he wonders if he’s dreaming.

“Well, it would be pretty cool if you were. But I asked because you smelled of magic.”

Levi tilts his head, not following. Eren continues.

“It’s a smell I know quite well, because… look.”

Coming further into the light, Eren used breast stroke to push himself forward, his back slowly coming up to the surface. In shock, Levi watches as skin merges to scales, a spiny dorsal fin curving out along the centre of his back and cutting through the water. Eren dips his head under the water in order to lift his lower half further, exposing his tail to air for the first time. The scales sparkle in the light, warm from the lantern and cool from the moon, before sliding back below the surface. His caudal fin is long and graceful, the two lobes translucent and pointed at the ends. Eren appears again a second later and twists to show his front this time, more ripples created by his pelvic fins. He looks nervous but comfortable in his astonishing new form. The fluidity of his movements alone make it hard for Levi to look away.

“I must be dreaming,” he breathes. “You’re a… a…”

“A child of the sea,” Eren finishes for him, bringing himself to a stop next to the rowboat. In the better lighting, Levi can see that what he had previously thought had been water droplets on Eren’s cheeks are actually more scales, scattered at the corner of his eyes and towards his ears, which don’t really look like ears anymore. Also disconcerting is the shape of his pupils, narrowing to slits now he’s near the lantern. “It’s not a dream,” he says gently, not moving while Levi processes the sight of him.

“I’m not going to freak out,” Levi says, to himself or Eren he’s not sure. Most of his calm is forced, a whirlwind of thoughts rushing through his head. “So this is… Every night you just…”

Levi doesn’t know how to finish any of his sentences anymore, leaving them hanging and frayed. Eren holds up his hands in a soothing, peaceful gesture, the power of his tail keeping him above water. Levi stutters on that reality, too, and on the claws at the tips of his friend’s fingers.

“I’m going to lean on the side of the boat now, okay?” Eren says. “So watch out.”

Levi shifts his weight to the opposite side without saying anything, watching awestruck as Eren’s forearms come into view, both glittering with scales in lines from his elbows down to the backs of his middle fingers. The rowboat tilts to one side, but finds an equilibrium soon after. Luckily the lantern doesn’t topple, because Levi isn’t focussed enough to catch it if it does.

“I didn’t want to hide this from you anymore, Levi,” Eren says. “I look forward to seeing you every day. This is just one more thing I’ve been waiting to show you. At my age, I still have to be in this form and submerged in clean, natural water for about ten hours so that I don’t get sick, but when I’m older I’ll be able to stay on land overnight.” He looks intently at Levi upon saying this, as if he’s eager to spend all his time with him without a curfew. Silently, Levi parses through his feelings, taking his time although he knows Eren is anticipating his reaction.

“I knew you were different,” Levi eventually says in a low voice. “There’s no way you’d like me otherwise.”

Eren rears up in protest.

“No! That’s not true!” Eren assures him, his sudden floundering making the boat dip. “You just haven’t found the right people yet, and--”

“But,” Levi continues, “you’re my best friend. This wasn’t what I expected, at all, but I came out here tonight because I had to know you were okay.”

Settling against the boat once again, Eren blinks at him in a happy daze.

“Thank you, Levi.”

Blushing faintly and hoping it can’t be seen, Levi shuffles on the floor of the boat, acting as if he needs to find his balance after all the earlier movement.

“I haven’t quite forgiven you yet for disappearing for three days. Were you building up the courage or something?”

“Oh, not really. I actually wasn’t here. I travelled to the ocean to make this.”

Eren brings a hand up to his neck, where a small object is hanging from a string necklace. Having been distracted by bigger things before, Levi hadn’t yet noticed its presence. With a quick tug, Eren pulls the string free from it’s knot, and holds the unusual pendant out for Levi to take.

It’s a long conch shell the size of his palm, sand-coloured on the outside but flushed with pink on the smooth lip of its interior. Tilting his head, Levi thinks it looks slightly key-shaped. He wonders what it’s for.

“You made this?”

“Well, not the shell itself, but it’s more than it seems on the surface. It’s a charm, soaked with seawater and my magic for three days and three nights, and sealed with help from the moon. When you hold the opening up to your ear, you will hear a traditional merfolk song of healing, one that we use to make others feel better. I thought it would be useful for your mother.”

Levi is stunned by the explanation, and the kind gesture. The shell looks completely ordinary to him, but Eren had spent so much time and effort to make it a thoughtful gift. He mentally forces himself to accept the part about Eren’s magic.

“... May I,” Levi asks, motioning holding it to his ear.

“Of course, go ahead,” Eren says with a fond smile. “Tell me what you think.”

Nodding wordlessly, Levi cups the conch and brings it close. For a moment, he only hears the typical rushing sound of waves, but then weaving in the background is an extra melody, that slowly comes to the forefront. The song builds gently, never very loud although more voices join the first, and Levi can never catch any distinct words that he is able to understand. He can feel himself relaxing, though, his eyes closing as he concentrates on the feeling the song gives.

Then, a light tingling starts on his injured palm, and he watches with wide eyes as the thin wounds close and fade in a matter of seconds, leaving no evidence behind.

“Holy crap.”

“Oh, did you need healing? I’m glad it can be put to use straight away then! What do you think of the song?”

“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs. “Somehow it feels very familiar. I think I’ve heard it before but I don’t know where.”

“Really? I haven’t sung that one in front of you, though.”

Levi nods again, unsure of how else to explain it.

“Um, thank you for this.”

“Anything I can do to help,” Eren replies cheerfully. Levi continues to listen to the shell for a few seconds, but then lowers it from his ear when another question pops into his head.

“So, singing... Is your voice magic? You’ve been using it this whole time, haven’t you?”

Grinning now, Eren gives him a wink.

“Culturally, we have a song for most important occasions or purposes. I like to make my own too, depending on what I need. Like using a variation of the healing song and the song of growth to fix the hole in this rowing boat, or for example…”

Eren is quiet for a moment, tapping out a quick rhythm on the wood before opening his mouth to sing. It is a soft lilting tune, one note sliding into the next and so on. And after the short phrase is repeated twice, Levi looks around and notices a dozen tiny blinking lights hovering in the air. Encouraged, Eren keeps singing, daring to raise his voice a little louder. It’s not hard for Levi to figure out that the fireflies are being drawn to him, and their warm glow makes an amazing sight. He doesn’t know exactly where they’re being called from, since there had been none to be seen earlier in the evening, but it soon seems as though hundreds are surrounding them.

Eren is very pleased with himself when he finishes.

“Show off,” Levi mutters, slipping into his teasing tone as easily as he always does with Eren. And it’s then that he realises, nothing has to change. Everything with him and Eren will be alright. Comforted, he sits and watches the show that Eren has brought to him. His eyelids feel heavy, but he pushes himself to stay alert. “You’re more of a natureboy than I thought, impossibly. Mike knows, doesn’t he. You call fish for him.”

Eren tilts his head, questioning.

“He hinted a bit to me, while we were waiting on the new pier for you,” Levi explains.

“Ah. Yeah. He’s got a good nose for people. I think he’s got supernatural family, actually. I used to spend more of my days in the lake, so he’s seen me before after I decided he was a decent person. He doesn’t let me call fish all the time, though, says it’s unsporting. He let me try lots of human food when I was younger!”

“So he’s the perfect, nosy guy to keep a secret with,” Levi concludes, wondering just how much Mike has had to put up with from a smaller, more excitable Eren. “There’s no rule against telling humans then?”

Eren shrugs and shakes his head at the same time.

“It’s never been necessary to make a rule. Although there’s an old legend that rejected merfolk would turn into seafoam if their reveal went badly, so it’s not too common among the superstitious.”

Levi makes a face, instantly concerned.

“Don’t worry, I believe the goddess of the sea would protect us from such things. And there is a song to alter memory, as a last resort.”

“So, you come from the ocean?” Levi asks, skipping over that last fact so that he doesn’t have to think too deeply about the risks it involves.

“Yes! The goddess is mother to us all, and I have many brothers and sisters although I don’t see them often anymore.”

“Why not?”

“We can end up very spread out. Although it’s nice to be in a pod, I like to be near humans, so I have been in this lake for years. It is clean and safe, and I’m still close to the coast in order to visit. Children aren’t allowed in deep waters anyway.”

Humming in acknowledgement, Levi drops his eyes to the floor of the boat.

“I’m glad you’re here and not anywhere in the deep ocean,” he says, hushed but sincere. Then, acting on impulse, he rocks forwards on his knees and places a short kiss on Eren’s cheek. Immediately, Eren puffs up his chest, making a sound that sends the fireflies into a little frenzy. “Eren?”

His call isn’t answered, as Eren pushes away from the boat and dives beneath the water. Looking over the edge, Levi waits, confused at the sudden departure. Eren isn’t gone long enough for the surface to still though, breaking through the surface in the next breath with such power that he rockets far above Levi’s head, backflipping into the water again. The resulting splash scatters the fireflies, but Eren’s smile when he swims back up is glowing brighter than any of them anyway.

Levi’s heart seems to be trying to copy Eren’s acrobatics.

“I’m glad you came to visit your family here!” Eren says, swimming and twirling, unable to stay still. Levi huffs a laugh at his antics, but then a yawn slips out before he can reply. His earlier adrenaline rush is leaving him.

“Sorry, I’m not yawning at you,” he says, right before yawning a second time, unable to stop it. Eren catches it and matches him a moment later, teeth all on display. He floats lower so that only his head is visible above water.

“I know you’re not. It’s late. You should be getting home again.”

Levi rubs an eye and agrees, and then Eren is ducking around to the back of the boat and propelling it back to shore. The moon doesn’t appear to have moved at all in the night sky, but Levi knows that time has moved on. He has a moment of silent despair when he thinks about how he has to sneak back into the Ackerman house and up to bed now.

The jetty is coming up before he knows it, Eren moving them as fast as a motor-powered boat. He alights on the wooden planks, tiredness making him clumsy but managing to tie the mooring rope around a post after only three attempts. Looking back at Eren, lantern in hand, Levi notices how much more of him he can see at once in shallower water. The full body effect gives him more of a dreamlike feel, despite knowing just how real it all is.

“I could walk you home, Levi. I can grab my clothes and shift back,” Eren offers, swimming alongside the dock at the same pace as Levi.

“Don’t worry about it. You said you needed to stay and I wouldn’t want you getting ill because of me.”

Eren hesitates, physically and verbally.

“I know I said that, but…”

“Don’t worry,” Levi repeats. He’s reached the beach now, so Eren is at his boundary. Tail swaying, Eren looks up at him unhappily. “I’ll see you later, Eren.”

“Wait,” Eren shouts after him a few steps later. Levi half-turns back, watching as Eren pushes up on his hands and whistles briefly. “Let the fireflies guide you home, okay?”

“Okay,” Levi says, quickly accepting that the line of bugs would do Eren’s bidding whether Levi had asked for it or not. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight! Sleep tight!”

Halfway home, Levi chuckles to himself, his exhausted mind conjuring up the thought that he would look like the magical one if anyone saw him, walking through the woods at night surrounded by glowing lights. After all, he apparently smells like he has supernatural power somehow. Once he’s back inside, he replaces the house keys where he got them, but doesn’t worry too much about the lantern. Instead he tip-toes straight up the stairs, kicks off his shorts and collapses into bed.

He drifts as if underwater. Eren joins him, scales sparkling.

Not once does he let go of the conch charm.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget the joy of the big bang: this fic has art to go with it!! look at them and cry with me tbh
> 
> [art by yuu](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/post/170717663744/a-late-dedication-to-erenfanclubs-super-sweet) \- [art by m](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170546630550/my-pieces-for-the-ereribigbang-i-was-very) \- [collab art omg](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170581669790/i-like-surprising-you-as-long-as-it-makes-you)


	6. Chapter 6

 

Levi had told himself that nothing would change, but not everything stays the same either. Eren behaves as always, but with a subtle difference in his bubbly happiness at being able to show Levi more aspects of himself and his magic. He could finally be completely open, and Levi committed everything to memory.

A day later, Kuchel calls again, and Levi has Eren’s handmade charm in one hand and the phone in the other once Auntie passes it over.

This is the call where, when Kuchel asks what he’s been up to, Levi finally tells her everything he’s done since arriving, right through to the present. He has to omit Eren’s true nature, and the sneaking out that the reveal had involved of course, but other than that his mum gets the full story. They talk for as long as possible, and she says it won’t be long before they get to see each other again.

Levi is stuck thinking about how the reunion will go for a long time. Days pass, along with more reassuring phone conversations, and as happy as it makes him, he feels the pressure of a time limit with Eren. When he voices his concern, Eren doesn’t share his anxiety in the least, telling him that he’s sure it will all work out. New things are happening all the time, he says, and then pulls him into a flurry of fun activities every day. Throughout the week, they switch it up, doing whatever they fancy. Levi teaches Eren how to skip pebbles on the lake. Eren teaches Levi which wild plants are edible. They explore more of the forest, eat cookies from the local bakery, and play games with Mikasa.

Eren even takes him on a short trip down-river to the closest cliff above the sea. The ocean stretches all the way to the horizon, and Eren uses it as a backdrop to share his life and culture. The crisp, fresh smell alone is something Levi wants to carry with him everywhere.

On the hottest day of the year so far, Levi and Eren sprawl on Levi’s bed. Levi had known he wouldn’t survive the sun without getting burned if he ventured outside, and so he’d asked Auntie and Uncle if Eren could come over instead. The two of them, plus Mikasa, were headed out on an undisclosed errand, and their permission had been freely given. So the boys now lie with the window open, the windchime making Eren smile and improvise music as it rings with the breeze. The relief brought by the cool air is fleeting, and Eren’s arm ends up draped over Levi’s stomach, heating him further.

Unable to stand the stickiness of contact, Levi sits up and fans himself. There are ice lollies in the freezer downstairs, and Eren is happy to get one for each of them once he hears about them. They’re just throwing away the stained wooden sticks when the front door opens and Uncle announces their return.

“Levi,” Auntie calls, “could you come here, please? We have something to show you.”

“Coming,” Levi and Eren shout in unison, the latter still licking sweetness from his lips. Eren is behind Levi when they reach the stairs, and bumps into him halfway down when he suddenly stops and gasps.

“Mum!”

Standing in the hallway, Kuchel Ackerman stares up at him, a wish come true. She doesn’t look much healthier, but she is dressed up beautifully in a flowing white dress and wide-brimmed hat, carefully-applied makeup correcting the dark circles Levi knows must still be under her eyes. Regardless, he skips the last couple steps and launches himself into her open arms.

“Oh, Levi, my little minnow, I’ve missed you so much,” she says, bending down and combing through his hair with one hand. He hugs her so tight that it squeezes out a laugh, Auntie and Uncle joining in from where they’re watching from the living room archway.

“You didn’t say you were coming here,” Levi mumbles into her chest, tipping his head back only so that she can hear him better. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“So that I could surprise you, darling,” Kuchel answers. “You look well. So much colour in your cheeks,” she remarks, holding his face in both hands, thumbs softly stroking his features.

“And you? Are you feeling better?” Levi asks, biting his lip.

“Well, it’s very hot today and it’s been a long journey, but don’t you fret. My workplace is still allowing me time off for recovery since I fainted again, so I’m here for the fresh air to see if that can give me a good push in the right direction. Your auntie has been telling me how wonderful you’ve been, and that your friend is here.” Levi perks up at this, and Kuchel smiles wider. “Is this him?”

Levi turns and beckons Eren down, the brunet looking at his mother with wide eyes.

“Mum, this is Eren, the friend I was telling you about.”

Eren glances at him and blinks, uncharacteristically speechless.

“Hello, Eren. I’m Kuchel, Levi’s mum, He’s told me a lot about you.”

Jumping to attention like a soldier, Eren squeaks before finding his voice.

“I-it’s very nice to meet you, ma’am!”

“Just as lively as I’ve heard,” Kuchel says, kindly ignoring his nervousness. Levi gives him a strange look, wondering if his mother has intimidated him somehow. “I’m very grateful that Levi’s had you to show him around.”

“O-of course,” Eren stammers. More concerned now, Levi discreetly grabs his hand and gives it a squeeze. It is returned with twice the strength.

“Shall we all sit down for a drink?” Auntie suggests. “Juice? Lemonade?” she asks, already moving to the kitchen and settling Mikasa in her high-chair. Uncle takes Kuchel’s bags and leaves them at the bottom of the stairs for later, and everyone sits around the dining table, every chair being filled for the first time.

Casual conversation starts up easily, sentences being punctuated by ice clinking against glass and the creak of wood. Levi and Eren get to hear the story of how the adults secretly arranged Kuchel’s visit during phone calls while Levi had been out of the house, setting a date and not letting it slip too soon. Uncle chuckles and rubs his neck when Auntie mentions how close he had been to ruining the surprise one night, but luckily Levi hadn’t even realised. At Levi’s side, Eren sips from his straw and glances often at Kuchel, his astonished expression never fading.

Eventually, Auntie excuses herself to put Mikasa down for her nap. After watching her go, Kuchel turns to the boys.

“I feel more rested after a drink. Levi, Eren, would you mind if we went for a walk. I’d like to see the lake.”

“If you’d like,” Levi says, already standing up. While Kuchel is retrieving her hat and shoes, Eren tugs at his sleeve and whispers in his ear.

“Do you have the charm?”

Levi pats his pockets out of habit, but realises it’s still in the bedroom. He dashes up for it with a quick thank you to Eren for the reminder.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Kuchel comments once they’re on the road.

“I think so, too. It’s always like this, isn’t it, Eren?” Levi prompts, seeing that the brunet is wandering slightly.

“Oh?” Eren shakes himself from his distraction. “Yes, village life is quiet, and this end has fewer houses.”

“This way to the lake,” Levi directs, holding his mother’s hand down the steps to make sure she’s safe. Once on even ground, Kuchel takes the lead while the boys hang back, letting her take it all in. They don’t go very far, limited by Kuchel’s condition, but she picks a spot for them to sit on the grass, not far from Levi and Eren’s initial preferred meeting place.

“It’s perfect here,” she says, taking a deep breath and patting the space next to her. “Darling, you’ve been so good while you’ve been here, I’m very proud.”

“Thanks, Mum,” he murmurs, embarrassed by the praise. Eren nudges him in the side, and at first he doesn’t understand the gesture, but Eren raises his eyebrows at him meaningfully and he remembers the shell in his pocket. “Actually, I have something for you. It’s a gift from Eren too, a charm to make you feel better.”

“Oh, what is it?” Kuchel asks, clearly not expecting any presents. Levi holds the conch out, and his mother takes it gently. “How pretty,” she exclaims, turning it around in her palm. “Thank you, both of you.”

“Hold it to your ear,” Levi says, eager for her to try it, for the charm to work it’s wonder. Kuchel looks at him curiously, and then does as she has been asked. The song still plays every time, Levi had even checked before coming downstairs with it. After a long moment, Kuchel sighs happily.

“Ah, what a nostalgic song.”

“You know it?” Levi asks, leaning in and wondering how they could both know a song of the merfolk.

“Yes, very well. I used to sing it to you when you were little, whenever you were crying. It calms you down.”

“When I was little?” Levi parrots. That made even less sense. Eren is unusually quiet behind him.

“Yes. And hearing it again now, I know that it’s the right time to tell you something very important.”

Levi blinks in confusion.

“You know that your father and I met by the sea, yes?”

“Yeah, in a sea cave,” Levi replies, trying to connect the dots already.

“Exactly. I was much younger and was tired from swimming, so was resting by the rocks. The part that you don’t know is this…”

Kuchel closes her eyes, and before Levi’s eyes her bare legs start glowing. Bubbly foam appears over her skin, obscuring it from sight while changes start happening underneath. The shift doesn’t last any longer than ten seconds, Levi dumbfounded but finally understanding when deep blue scales come into view, his mother still in her loose white dress but looking more different than he could have ever imagined before Eren.

“I knew you smelled like family but I thought I was going crazy!” Eren whoops from Levi’s shoulder. “Now I know why you smell like magic too, Levi!”

“Mum… you’re a mermaid?”

Smiling gently, Kuchel folds her hands in her lap, over the conch shell charm, and nods at Levi. Her features have sharpened in some ways, but Levi feels no conflicting feelings when looking at her. Awed, he reaches out to touch her tail, confirming that the tough scales are real.

“That means… your illness! You know what it is! Can it be cured?”

“Yes, angelfish. I’ve confused the doctors, and I’m so sorry for worrying you, but even at my age I should go swimming more often than I do. I neglected this part of myself since your father passed. It was too difficult, and our last move put us in an awkward spot inland, anyway. We’ve been so busy, and I got forgetful, I should have paid more attentio--”

“You’re going to be okay!”

Levi clings to her in a strong hug for the second time that afternoon. He doesn’t think it will be the last.

“Levi, I’ve been thinking… how would you like to move out here?”

He freezes at the question.

“Move here? Permanently? Really?”

“Only if you’re okay with it,” she assures, unsure of his response. “You’re doing much better here, with Eren and more family support. I wonder if you’ll eventually start showing some special heritage in this environment. As your mother I want what’s best for you, and I’ve already started a few searches in the area to see if it would be possible. Say yes and I’ll find ways to make it happen, baby.”

“Yes. Yes I’d love to.” Twisting in her arms, Levi reaches back for Eren’s hand. “I’d love to stay.”

Eren squeezes his hand, starry-eyed and practically vibrating with the new possibilities opening up to them all.

“It would take a little time, finding a house and a job and moving your school, but I think it would be very good for us both,” Kuchel adds, heart warmed from seeing her son so happy. The thin fins on her upper arms flutter with the feeling. Thoughtfully, she turns the conch charm over in her hands, and then looks at Eren. “It’s refreshing to see someone so loose with their magic, Eren, especially when they have an especially talented voice. But I’m already feeling very protective of you being here all alone. There’s some things I’ll need to show you about living with humans, if you’ll let me.”

“I’d love that!” Eren shouts, his volume filter gone and his scales briefly flickering into appearance around his eyes in his excitement. Levi thinks he’ll have to get used to that fast if they’re going to all stay together, but that’s no hardship for him.

“Let’s do it as soon as possible,” Levi says, glancing between his mother and Eren. Finally he settles on the latter. “Will you wait for me? If it takes a while?”

“Of course,” Eren replies, moving their hands so their fingers interlock. “As long as it takes.”

“Thank you. Thank you for everything. Honestly, I think you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Anything for my best friend,” Eren says in return, pressing a small kiss to Levi’s lips. Quietly in shock, Levi gets another surprise when flowers sprout and burst into bloom around his legs.

Or, at least, around where his legs used to be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't forget the joy of the big bang: this fic has art to go with it!! look at them and cry with me tbh
> 
> [art by yuu](http://yueirs.tumblr.com/post/170717663744/a-late-dedication-to-erenfanclubs-super-sweet) \- [art by m](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170546630550/my-pieces-for-the-ereribigbang-i-was-very) \- [collab art omg](https://aceveria-art.tumblr.com/post/170581669790/i-like-surprising-you-as-long-as-it-makes-you)
> 
> reblog and leave nice tags if you have the power!! 
> 
> My tumblr: [erenfanclub](http://erenfanclub.tumblr.com/)~


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